A6RIC, 


APPENDIX  E  TO  THE  BIENNIAL  REPORT  OF  THE  BOARD  OF  STATE 
VITICULTURAL  COMMISSIONERS  FOR  1891-92. 


WINE. 

CLASSIFICATION-WINE  TASTING-QUALITIES 

AND  DEFECTS. 


BY 
PROF.  G.  GBAZZI-SONCINI, 

Director  of  the  Royal  School  of  Viticulture,  Alba,  Italy. 


TRANSLATED  'BY 


K.     T. 

Of  the  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  (Viticultural  Section),  University  of  California, 

Berkeley,  California. 


SACRAMENTO: 

STATE  OFFICE,  :   :   :    :    :  A.  j.  JOHNSTON,  SUPT.  STATE  PRINTING. 

1892. 


Grip, 


AGRIC.  DEPT. 

OFFICERS  AND  MEMBERS  OF  THE  BOARD. 


GEORGE  WEST,  President Stockton. 

Commissioner  for  the  San  Joaquin  District. 

CHARLES  BUNDSCHU,  Vice-President San  Francisco. 

Commissioner  for  the  San  Francisco  District. 

ALLEN  TOWLE,  Treasurer Towles. 

Commissioner  for  the  El  Dorado  District. 

J.  DEBARTH  SHORE ISan  Gabriel. 

Commissioner  for  the  State  at  Large. 

JOHN  T.  DOYLE -...San  Francisco. 

Commissioner  for  the  State  at  Large. 

ISAAC  DETURK . Santa  Rosa. 

Commissioner  for  the  Sonoma  District. 

E.  C.  PRIBER... Napa. 

Commissioner  for  the  Napa  District. 

R.  D.  STEPHENS Sacramento. 

Commissioner  for  the  Sacramento  District. 

E.  C.  BICHOWSKY San  Gabriel. 

Commissioner  for  the  Los  Angeles  District. 


WINFIELD  SCOTT,  Secretary San  Francisco. 

CLARENCE  J.  WETMORE,  Chief  Executive  Viticultural  and  Health  Officer. ... 

__ Livermore  and  San  Francisco. 

Office  of  the  Board: 
317  PINE  STREET,  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


AUTHOR'S  PREFACE. 


ROYAL  SCHOOL  OF  VITICULTURE  AND  OENOLOGYJ 
ALBA,  PIEDMONT,  ITALY,  January,  1892.       j 

A  preface  should  give  an  immediate  idea  of  what  the  author  has  pro- 
posed to  do  in  writing  his  book.  As  Balbo  rightly  says  in  the  preface 
to  one  of  his  books: 

"  It  is  the  duty  of  every  writer  to  give  the  reader  a  terse  and  clear  idea 
of  the  work  which  he  presents  him.  This  sincerity  benefits  both:  the 
reader,  because  it  puts  him  in  the  position  of  knowing  whether  or  not 
the  book  is  likely  to  be  of  interest  or  utility  to  him;  the  writer,  because, 
whilst  it  may  reduce  the  number  of  his  readers,  it  insures  him  more 
interested,  attentive,  and  indulgent  ones. 

"  The  clearest  and  most  sincere  way  of  giving  an  explication  of  the 
object  of  a  book  is  to  tell  how  it  was  written." 

Thus  I  will  explain,  as  well  as  possible  in  a  few  words,  why  I  have 
written  this  book,  which  treats  especially  of  the  classification,  the  qual- 
ities, and  the  defects  of  wine. 

When  I  commenced  to  give  particular  attention  to  viticulture  and 
cenology,  I  soon  perceived  that  in  oenology,  and  especially  in  that  part 
which  regards  classification,  qualities,  and  defects,  all  authors  were  not 
in  accord  in  their  use  of  terms  to  express  the  same  characters.  Thus,  for 
example,  some  would  mean  by  "seve,"  a  slight  sweetness  in  the  wine; 
others  by  the  same  term  would  intend  to  express  that  character  by 
which  a  wine  of  good  quality  affects  the  mouth  and  olfactory  organs 
with  a  certain  perfume,  for  a  longer  or  shorter  time  after  it  has  been 
swallowed. 

I  will  say  nothing  of  the  classification  of  wines  according  to  dishes, 
as  wine  to  be  drunk  with  oysters,  fish,  roast  meat,  etc.,  which  shows  a 
marked  tendency  to  become  a  veritable  chaos.  In  this  classification, 
the  work  of  Mr.  Bertall, "  La  Vigne- Voyage  Autour  des  Vins  de  France," 
is  taken  too  literally. 

How  could  one  speak  of  the  classification  of  wine,  of  its  qualities,  of 
its  defects,  without  giving  some  explanation  of  the  mode  and  proper 
conditions  for  tasting?  It  is  for  this  reason  that  I  have  devoted  a 
chapter  to  the  tasting  of  wine,  a  chapter,  moreover,  of  great  importance, 
as  it  is  by  tasting,  more  than  by  chemical  analysis,  that  we  can  best 
judge  of  the  constitution  and  future  of  a  wine.  Who  is  a  better  judge  than 
an  experienced  taster  of  the  bad  flavor  produced  in  wine,  for  instance, 
by  the  tartaric  fermentation,  which  even  in  its  incipiency  he  can  detect 
by  a  certain  burnt  taste,  which,  with  the  progress  of  the  malady,  grad- 
ually develops  into  an  insupportable  bitterness?  Among  these  gradations 
of  bitterness  we  do  not  find  that  slight  pleasing  bitterness  peculiar  to 
certain  wines,  such  as  Barolo  and  Gattinara. 

Chemical  analysis  gives  us  the  principal  components  of  wine,  and 
from  the  presence  or  absence  of  certain  of  these  and  from  their  propor- 
tions, some  judgment  may  be  formed  of  the  character  of  the  wine.  The 


:    ntf  ATIT  OF  WINE  TASTING. 

taster  alone  is  able  to  detect  diseases  at  their  incipiency,  and,  one  might 
almost  say,  before  they  have  commenced,  whilst  the  chemist  can  only 
state  the  final  consequence.  In  other  words,  one  might  say  that  whilst 
the  chemist  is  limited  to  making  a  diagnosis,  the  taster  can  make  a 
prognosis. 

In  the  case  of  some  defects  of  wine,  I  have  not  confined  myself  to  a 
simple  definition  or  description.  I  have  also  added  notes,  brief  in  some 
cases,  more  extended  in  others,  on  the  determining  causes  and  the 
means  of  prevention  or  cure.  I  have  done  this,  believing  it  would  be 
useful  to  the  taster  or  the  dealer,  who  is  not  always  fully  informed 
on  all  the  details  of  technical  oenology.  With  this  information  for  a 
guide,  he  will  be  better  able  to  judge  of  the  relative  gravity  of  this  or 
that  defect,  and  the  dealer  especially  will  be  able  to  judge  of  the  utility 
or  inutility  of  attempting  to  cure  a  wine  of  a  certain  defect. 

I  have  also  tried — wishing  to  be  useful  to  the  greatest  possible  num- 
ber of  readers — not  to  neglect  a  secondary  part,  which  has  its  impor- 
tance in  tending  to  make  the  consumer  better  appreciate  the  wine  he 
drinks.  Profiting  by  the  Consigli  di  un  amatore  di  vini,  I  have  indicated 
the  form  of  glass  to  be  used  with  each  kind  of  wine,  how  wines  should 
be  presented  and  distributed  during  the  repast,  and  how  they  should  be 
drunk.  In  this  part,  which  I  have  called  secondary,  it  is  not  to  be 
denied  that  fashion  is  the  determining  factor. 

And  now  the  reader  may  judge  if  I  have  succeeded  in  my  intentions. 
Even  though  his  judgment  should  not  be  favorable,  I  shall  consider 
myself  fortunate  in  being  the  first — as  far  as  I  know — to  call  attention, 
in  an  extended  manner,  to  this  part  of  oenology,  which  in  former 
treatises  on  the  subject  has  been  but  lightly  touched  upon. 

G.  GRAZZI-SONCINI. 


WINE  AND  THE  ART  OF  WINE  TASTING. 


TRANSLATOR'S  PREFACE. 


AGRICULTURAL  EXPERIMENT  STATION,  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  ) 
BERKELEY,  GAL.,  September  16, 1892.  j 

Professor  Grazzi-Soncini's  book,  which  has  been  already  translated 
into  French,  fills  a  void  in  the  literature  of  oenology.  The  part  dealing 
with  the  defects  of  wine,  the  diseases  to  which  it  is  subject,  and  the 
methods,  when  such  exist,  of  remedying  these  diseases,  will  perhaps  be  of 
the  most  practical  value  to  the  wine  grower.  The  part  which  regards 
tasting  and  classification,  however,  is  worthy  of  careful  reading,  and 
many  hints  may  be  drawn  from  it  that  will  be  of  use  towards  the  attain- 
ment of  that  most  desirable  object:  the  production  of  constant  types  of 
wines — an  object  which  is  too  little  studied  in  California,  but  on  which 
our  hopes  of  building  up  a  trade  in  high-class  wines  very  largely  depends. 

Many  of  the  numerous  terms  which  the  French  and  Italians  have 
invented  for  the  technical  consideration  of  wine  it  is  impossible  or  diffi- 
cult to  translate  into  English,  and  for  this  reason  the  translation  neces- 
sarily lacks  some  of  the  scientific  precision  and  clearness  of  the  original. 
I  have  however  attempted,  wherever  possible,  to  give  the  English  equiv- 
alent of  the  term  used  by  the  author,  and  have  also  given  the  French 
term,  in  this  way  making  a  glossary  in  the  three  languages,  which  may 
possibly  be  of  use  in  developing  a  uniform  set  of  technical  terms  on  this 
subject  in  our  own  language. 

If  this  book  should  be  of  any  use  to  the  wine  maker,  and  especially 
if  it  should  call  the  attention  of  non-wine-drinking  people  to  some  of 
the  uses  and  beauties  of  wine  which  they  did  not  suspect,  the  translator 
will  feel  amply  repaid  for  his  trouble. 

F.  T.  BIOLETTI. 


WINE    AND    THE    ART    OF    WINE    TASTING. 


WINE  AND  THE  ART  OF  WINE  TASTING. 

By  G  GRAZZI-SONCINI. 


INTRODUCTION. 

Wine  is  simply  the  juice  or  must  of  the  grape  after  it  has  undergone 
the  process  of  fermentation.*  This  may  be  considered  as  the  most 
natural  and  exact  definition  that  can  he  given  of  it.  It  is  the  definition 
accepted  by  the  law. 

On  account  of  the  prevalence  of  sophistications  and  the  considerable 
amount  of  wine  that  is  now  made  from  dried  grapes  and  other  saccha- 
rine fruits,  a  more  particularized  definition  of  wine  is  now  given ;  it  may 
be  formulated  as  follows: 

By  wine  is  understood  that  liquid  which  is  obtained  by  the  alcoholic 
fermentation  of  the  juice  or  must  of  fresh  grapes.  This  must  may  be 
fermented  in  contact  or  not  with  the  pomace  or  solid  portion  of  the 
grapes,  without,  however,  the  addition  of  any  extraneous  substance  or 
even  of  substances  chemically  the  same  as  those  that  the  grapes  them- 

*Although  as  Gautier  writes,  "Wine  is  a  very  complex  body,  and  so  delicate  that  the 
work  of  chemists,  so  far,  has  been  but  an  outline  of  what  there  is  to  do  in  the  study  of 
it,"  I  think  it  will  be  useful,  because  it  will  give  a  more  complete  idea  of  the  subject  of 
our  remarks,  to  give  a  list  of  the  principal  components  of  grapes,  or  must,  and  of  wine: 

A.  SOLID  BODIES. 

Stems:  Lignose— Tannin— Albuminoids— Organic  salts  and  acids— Mineral  salts  and 
acids— Chlorophyll — Gummy  matters — Phosphates — Potash,  lime,  magnesia,  silica. 

Skins:  Cellulose  —  (Enocyanin  —  (Enorubin  —  Tannin  —  Cream  of  Tartar — Catechin — 
Quercite  (?) — Waxy  matters,  ferment  germs — Etherous  and  aromatic  principles — Nitrog- 
enous substances — Phosphates — Potash,  lime,  magnesia,  iron,  silica. 

Pulp:  Cellular  parenchyma — Nitrogenous  substances — Cream  of  tartar — Gum,  pectin, 
dextrin  (?) — Gases,  nitrogen,  carbonic  acid — Divers  salts. 

Seeds:  Lignose — Fatty  matters — Nitrogenous  substances — Gum — Starch — Phosphates — 
Divers  salts — Tannin. 

B.  LIQUID  BODIES. 

Water  —  Glucose  —  Levulose  —  Divers  nitrogenous  substances  —  Saccharose,  dulcite — 
Cream  of  tartar — Tartrate  of  calcium — Tartaric,  malic,  and  racemic  acids — Halogen 
acids  (traces)  —  Ammoniacal  salts  and  organic  derivatives  —  Phosphates,  sulphates, 
nitrates — Potash,  lime,  magnesia. 

C.    GASEOUS  BODIES. 
Carbonic  anhydride — Nitrogen — Hydrogen  sulphide. 

ELEMENTS  OF  WINE  (RED  WINE). 

Water — Alcohols:  ethylic,  propylic,  butylic  (amylic?),  caproic,  oenanthilic,  caprylic, 
pelargonic,  capric. 

Higher  alcohols — Glycerine — Isobutyl — Mannite — Glucose — Levulose — Inosin — Gum — 
Pectic  matters— Essential  oils— Furfurol— Aldehyde— Acetal. 

Ethers:  acetic,  propionic,  butyric,  valerianic,  caproic,  lauric,  myristic,  palmitic,  stearic. 

Acids:  carbonic,  acetic,  propionic,  butyric,  caproic,  oenanthylic,  caprylic,  capric,  lauric, 
myristic,  tartaric,  racemic,  succinic,  malic,  taiinic,  sulphuric,  nitric,  phosphoric,  silicic, 
chlorhydric,  fluorhydric.  These  acids  are  either  free  or  combined  with  the  bases:  potash, 
soda,  lime,  magnesia,  alumina,  iron  oxide,  manganese,  ammonia,  volatile  bases  of  the 
pyridic  series. 

Albuminoids— Coloring  matters. 


WINE    AND    THE    ART    OP    WINE    TASTING.  7 

selves  contain.  The  addition  of  the  latter  is  considered  by  many  as  an 
adulteration,  because  it  changes  the  quantitative  composition  of  the 
must,  and  consequently  of  the  wine. 

'Who  first  made  wine  is  not  known.  The  history  of  its  manufacture, 
like  that  of  many  other  fermented  beverages,  extends  back  into  the 
mists  of  ages;  nothing,  therefore,  is  known  about  its  first  use.  Tradi- 
tion and  mythology  give  several  accounts  of  its  first  appearance,  but 
they  are  of  a  very  contradictory  nature. 

Of  one  thing  we  may  be  sure,  and  that  is  that  from  the  first,  man  has 
asked  himself  the  question:  Is  wine  a  real  benefit?  A  question  that 
has  not  yet,  perhaps,  been  answered  to  the  satisfaction  of  some. 

Even  at  the  present  day  it  is  not  possible  to  give  a  satisfactory,  defi- 
nite reply  to  this  demand,  unless  we  look  at  it  from  an  economical  stand- 
point, in  which  case  there  can  be  no  doubt  of  its  utility,  as  it  is  one  of 
the  principal  sources  of  national  wealth  in  every  country  where  the 
grape  can  be  grown. 

We  must  therefore  consider  it  from  this  point  of  view,  otherwise  its 
real  utility  to  man  might  be  contested. 

It  is  said  that  wine  incites  man  to  anger,  licentiousness,  murder,  and 
in  general  subjects  him  to  a  thousand  depraving  temptations. 

"  II  vino  e  il  veleno  piu  teribile  per  la  societa.  Ne  i  fulmine  di  Giove, 
ne  la  spada  di  Marte,  ne  i  bad  di  Venere  hanno  fatto  tante  vittime  quanto 
Bacco  coi  calici  spumante." — Bizzozero. 

Alcohol,  the  moment  it  enters  the  cells  and  nervous  filaments,  revives 
their  functions  and  excites  and  stimulates  their  action;  this  state  of 
exaltation  passed,  however,  if  more  alcohol  is  imbibed  by  the  cells  and 
nerves  a  period  of  exhaustion  supervenes.  The  presence  of  this  foreign 
body  in  the  organism,  tainting  the  blood  and  diffusing  its  vapors 
through  the  substance  of  the  brain,  interferes  with  the  chemical  pro- 
cesses of  the  body,  augments  the  resistance  to  the  nervous  movements, 
and  engenders  that  particular  kind  of  poisoning  known  under  the  name 
of  intoxication. 

It  was  owing  to  wine  that  Ham  was  cursed  and  became  the  servant  of 
his  brothers'  servants.  It  was  owing  to  wine  that  the  ancient  Persians, 
Lacedemonians,  Romans — active,  vigorous,  and  glorious  by  a  thousand 
splendid  victories,  as  long  as  they  possessed  the  virtue  of  sobriety — 
declined  and  fell  when — 

Delia  stoica  incude 
Spessa  nel  vin  tempravasi 
La  rigida  virtude. 

But  that  was  the  abuse  not  the  use  of  wine. 

Every  one  should  know  that  wine,  drunk  in  moderation  or  with 
temperance,  favors  and  augments  the  secretion  of  the  gastric  juices  and 
so  aids  digestion;  it  excites  the  imagination,  awakens  the  memory, 
dispels  care,  restores  the  physical  force,  and  renders  the  movements  of 
the  body  active  and  vigorous. 

A  proof  of  this,  if  one  is  needed,  is  furnished  by  the  fact  cited  by  all 
writers  on  hygiene,  that  if  in  the  war  of  1870-71  the  German  army  was 
able  to  sustain  the  fatigues  of  the  campaign  and  sieges,  always  remain- 
ing in  good  health,  it  was  because  they  were  invading  and  conquering 
a  wine-producing  country. 

Bacchus  is  the  "Dio  salvatore."  Plutarch,  in  the  life  of  Caesar, 
mentions  that  the  whole  army  of.  the  General  was  once  afflicted  with  a 


8  WINE    AND    THE    ART    OF    WINE    TASTING. 

disease  which  Caesar  cured  by  allowing  all  the  soldiers  to  get  solemnly 
drunk.     From  that  day  they  all  commenced  to  recover. 

Certainly  among  the  curative  resources  at  the  disposal  of  hygiene 
and  medicine  there  is  none  more  frequently  used  than  wine.  We 
always,  as  it  were  by  instinct,  say  to  a  convalescent:  "You  should 
drink  wine." 

Hippocrates  says:  "  Wine  is  a  liquid  marvelously  adapted  to  man,  well 
or  ill,  providing  he  take  it  at  the  proper  time  and  in  quantities  suitable 
to  his  constitution." 

Liebig,  too,  is  of  the  same  opinion,  for  he  writes:  "Wine  is  unsur- 
passed by  any  product,  natural  or  artificial,  as  a  restorer  of  the  vital 
forces  when  they  are  exhausted;  it  animates  and  revives  the  saddened 
spirits,  it  serves  as  a  corrective  and  antidote  in  all  irregularities  of  the 
animal  economy,  which  it  preserves  from  the  passing  ills  to  which  inor- 
ganic nature  subjects  it." 

Wine  considered  from  an  alimentary  point  of  view  has  its  chief 
importance  in  the  union  of  alcohol  with  an  acid  liquid;  the  acid  mod- 
erates the  too  energetic  action  of  the  alcohol,  especially  its  action  on  the 
nervous  system. 

The  tannin  and  coloring  matter,  when  present  in  due  proportion,  exer- 
cise a  very  favorable  influence  on  the  stomach  by  animating  the  energies 
of  the  digestive  functions. 

The  aroma,  the  bouquet,  the  "  seve"  of  a  wine  are  also  useful,  as  many 
facts  tend  to  prove,  among  others,  the  fact  that  well-flavored  substances 
in  general  have  a  favorable  influence  on  nutrition. 

Wine  has  a  density  nearly  equal  to  that  of  water,  and  is  absorbed  into 
our  system  with  much  less  rapidity  than  spirits;  this  fact  is  of  great 
importance  to  the  animal  economy,  because  the  effects  of  wine  are  thus 
felt  for  a  longer  time  and  without  the  danger  accompanying  the  rapid 
effects  of  brandy. 

Wine  is  absorbed  by  our  digestive  organs  without  any  change  but 
that  of  being  mixed  with  the  gastric  juice.  There  is  no  need  of  the  in- 
tervention of  the  digestive  ferments  to  facilitate  the  absorption  of  the 
wine  in  its  last  office  of  nutrition.  This  explains  its  utility  in  certain 
diseases. 

The  complexity  of  the  organic  matters  that  enter  into  the  composition 
of  wine,  which  up  to  a  certain  point  resembles  that  of  the  human  body, 
explains  its  restorative  action  in  the  case  of  individuals  weakened  by 
anaemia  or  insufficient  nourishment,  etc. 

Wine,  then,  is  produced  and  drunk,  and  of  all  fermented  beverages  it 
is  the  most  healthful,  and  the  one  that  most  harmonizes  with  our  organ- 
ism. If  nature  had  gifted  man,  as  it  has  all  other  animals,  with  a  surer 
instinct  in  the  choice  of  the  food  that  was  best  suited  to  his  constitution, 
certainly  without  any  hesitation  among  the  first  substances  he  would 
have  selected  wine;  however,  having  a  less  reliable  instinct  than  he 
might  have,  he  has  allowed  himself  to  be  greatly  influenced  by  tradition 
and  imitation  in  the  choice  of  his  beverages. 


WINE  AND  THE  ART  OF  WINE  TASTING. 


I. 

CLASSIFICATION. 

Of  the  numerous  classifications  that  have  been  made,  and  that  might 
be  made,  of  the  various  and  diverse  wines  produced  in  the  different  wine- 
growing regions,  that  is  to  be  preferred  which,  up  to  a  certain  point,  can 
be  considered  as  the  most  natural,  by  giving  an  immediate  idea  of  the 
principal  characters  presented  by  a  certain  wine  or  category  of  wines. 

Carpene  very  justly  considers  the  classing  of  wines  according  to 
different  dishes  or  repasts  as  misleading  and  hurtful  to  the  trade;  for, 
as  he  well  remarks  in  one  of  his  articles,  if  this  classification  should  be 
carried  out  we  should  have  tripe  wine,  cheese  wine,  macaroni  wine,  etc. 
As  every  one  knows,  the  order  of  wines  and  dishes  through  the  repast 
is  influenced  by  fashion  and  caprice.  To-morrow,  perhaps  fashion  will 
oblige  us  to  imitate  northern  nations  and  Americans  in  our  "  cuisine," 
and  then  we  will  be  obliged  to  drink  champagne  through  the  whole 
dinner;  thus  champagne  must  be  successively  known  as  an  oyster  wine, 
a  soup  wine,  a  roast  wine,  and  heaven  knows  what  else. 

Not  long  since  I  was  at  a  banquet,  and  by  chance  was  placed  next  to 
a  certain  high  functionary  who  was  to  commence  the  series  of  toasts. 
On  the  appearance  of  the  roast  our  high  functionary  prepared  himself. 
"But  how  is  this,"  he  exclaimed  to  a  neighbor,  "do  they  not  give  us 
champagne  now?"  "They  serve  the  'roast  wine'  now,"  replied  the 
other.  "Roast  wine,"  cried  the  surprised  high  functionary,  "but  at 
court  they  serve  champagne  with  the  roast."  Champagne  was  after- 
wards brought,  and  then  the  eminent  personage  was  able  to  get  up  and 
make  his  toast,  a  very  appropriate  and  happy  one.  I  cannot  say  what 
influence  the  "  roast  wine  "  may  have  had  on  it. 

This  classifying  by  dishes  is  certainly  all  wrong,  but  if  we  should 
ask  ourselves  the  question,  as  an  amateur  does  in  the  wine  taster's  vade 
mecum,  " La  vite  ed  il  vino"  "When  should  one  drink  wine?"  the 
answer  most  certainly  would  be,  "  Whilst  eating."  Without  a  good 
selection  of  wines  the  most  perfect  bill  of  fare  loses  all  its  value. 

High-class  red  wines  should  not  be  drunk  before  they  have  been  eight 
or  ten  years  in  bottle.  Before  that  they  may  be  rough,  and  not  particu- 
larly pleasant  to  the  taste.  Very  fine  white  wines,  too,  should  be  well 
aged,  otherwise  the  sugar,  of  which  they  contain  a  certain  amount,  will 
not  have  been  all  transformed  into  alcohol,  and  lessens  their  strength 
and  bouquet. 

A  natural,  primary,  and  main  division  of  the  various  wines  may  be 
made  with  reference  to  their  color,  viz.: 

WHITE    AND    RED    WINES. 

It  should  be  stated  here  that  this  general  division  rests  not  only  on  the 
color  that  the  wine  may  have,  or  on  the  presence  or  absence  of  oenocy- 
anin  in  its  composition,  but  on  other  characteristics  in  which  a  white 
wine  differs  greatly  from  a  red. 


10  WINE    AND    THE    ART   OF   WINE    TASTING. 

This  division  is  of  no  little  hygienic  importance,  wines  of  different  color 
having  as  distinct  effects  on  our  constitution  as  wines  of  different  age, 
alcoholicity,  or  acidity. 

White  wines,  as  is  well  known,  are  obtained  from  white  grapes,  or 
from  red  grapes  which,  instead  of  being  crushed  and  fermented  in  a 
mass,  are  pressed,  and  the  must  fermented  separately;  that  is,  not  in 
contact  with  the  pomace  or  solid  parts  of  the  grapes. 

I  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  white  wine  can  be  made  from  red 
grapes,  because  wines  so  made  have  exactly  the  same  action  on  our 
system  as  have  white  wines  made  from  white  grapes. 

Certainly  the  following  from  Guyot  is  very  true: 

Wine  which  has  been  fermented  in  contact  with  the  stems,  skins,  and  seeds  of  the 
grapes  is  very  different  from  that  which  has  been  fermented  separately.  The  latter  wine 
is  white,  the  other  red,  and  the  antithesis,  though  expressed  nere  simply  by  the  oppo- 
sition of  color,  does  not  consist  in  the  least  in  this  difference  of  color,  which  is  only  an 
accident.  The  real  difference  consists  in  the  special  and  often  opposite  hygienic  quali- 
ties of  these  two  kinds  of  wine.  Nowadays  they  make  red  wines  which  have  all  the 
hygienic  properties  of  white  wines,  and  it  is  possible  to  produce  white  wines  which 
would  have  all  the  hygienic  properties  of  red.  All  that  is  necessary  to  obtain  this  last 
result  is  to  ferment  the  must  of  white  grapes  with  the  skins,  seeds,  and  stems,  in  the 
same  way  as  red  wine  is  treated;  in  this  way  all  the  effects  are  obtained  of  a  rapid 
decomposition  and  solution  by  maceration  of  the  principles  and  products  which  are 
not  found  in  the  juice  of  the  grape.  *  * 

I  insist  on  the  true  distinction  of  wines  obtained  by  the  fermentation  of  the  juice  of 
the  grape  completely  isolated  from  its  accessories,  and  those  made  by  fermentation  of 
the  juice,  together  with  all,  or  at  least  part  of  the  rest  of  the  grape — a  distinction  quite 
independent  of  the  color.  Nothing  is  more  alien  or  of  less  importance  to  the  quality 
of  a  wine  than  its  color.  It  may  be  a  sign — an  indication — but  it  is  never  a  quality  of 
itself.  By  the  majority  of  consumers  color  is  looked  upon  as  a  guarantee  of  the  purity, 
quality,  and  strength  of  the  wine.  It  is  on  account  of  this  considering  color  as  a  sign 
of  quality  that  unscrupulous  dealers  make  use  of  it  to  commit  innumerable  frauds. 

White  wines  are  in  general  diffusible  stimulants  of  the  nervous  system;  if  they  are 
light  they  act  rapidly  on  the'physical  organization,  of  which  they  intensify  all  the  func- 
tions. It  seems  that  they  escape  just  as  quickly  through  the  skin  and  mucous  mem- 
branes, and,  above  all,  with  the  urine;  their  action,  then,  is  of  short  duration. 

Unlike  white  wines,  red  wines  are  tonic  and  persistent  stimulants  of  the  nerves,  the 
muscles,  and  the  digestive  organs.  Their  organic  action  being  slower  is  more  prolonged; 
they  do  not  unduly  excite  the  perspiration  nor  the  excretions,  and  their  general  action 
is  astringent,  persistent,  and  concentrated. 

Moreover,  the  common  opinion,  founded  on  daily  experience,  leaves  no  doubt  of  the 
real  difference,  in  their  sensual  and  organic  effects,  between  white  wines  and  red. 

Of  equal  importance  are  the  following  words  of  Dr.  Gauber: 

If  one  should  divide  the  grapes  gathered  from  a  vineyard  of  the  "Graves"  of  the 
Gironde  into  two  parts,  and  of  one  make  white  wine  and  of  the  other  red,  and  then, 
at  the  end  of  four  years,  make  a  careful  tasting  of  these  two  wines  which  have  been 
carefully  treated  during  these  four  years,  what  will  be  the  result?  Made  from  a  raw 
material  apparently  identical,  will  they  be  equally  developed  and  equally  mature?  The 
white  wine  will  have  aged  the  most. 

Will  they  produce  the  same  effect,  the  same  degree  of  stimulation,  on  our  organs?  Let 
us  collect  the  sensations  produced  by  one  and  the  other  in  the  order  in  which  they  are 
produced. 

1.  A  glass  of  white  wine,  well  made  and  dry,  the  moment  it  enters  the  mouth  develops 
a  bright  and  penetrating  aroma,  and  leaves,  in  passing,  an  impression,  agreeable  it  is 
true,  but  fugitive  and  almost  hot.  Hardly  has  it  reached  the  surface  of  the  stomach 
when  it  causes  a  feeling  of  warmth  which,  in  less  than  ten  minutes  in  the  case  of  certain 
healthy  but  impressionable  constitutions,  becomes  very  intense.  Sometimes  the  action, 
by  sympathetic  radiation,  is  reflected  from  the  stomach  to  the  head  with  the  prompti- 
tude of  the  electric  fluid.  Generally,  after  an  hour  or  less,  a  sensation  is  felt  as  of  a 
pressure  either  on  the  two  temples  or  around  the  whole  head;  the  hand  is  instinctively 
passed  over  the  forehead  as  though  to  free  it  from  some  load.  Sometimes  a  feeling  of 
painful  fullness  of  the  brain  accompanies  these  effects.  The  irritation  is  communicated 
from  the  gastric  and  nervous  centers  to  the  whole  body.  It  shows  itself  by  increased 
warmth,  often  irregularly  distributed,  of  the  body  (with  irritable  people  the  palm  of  the 
hand  often  becomes  unpleasantly  hot  and  dry);  by  a  need  of  movement,  of  displace- 
ment rather  than  of  exercise  (with  people  of  the  disposition  mentioned  above  this 
need  is  shown  by  an  internal  agitation,  by  slight  muscular  tremblings  accompanied  by 
shooting  pains  that  strike,  with  the  rapidity  of  lightning,  different  parts  of  the  body). 


WINE    AND    THE    ART    OF    WINE    TASTING.  11 

At  the  end  of  two  or  three  hours,  more  or  less,  according  to  the  temperament  and  sus- 
ceptibility of  the  individual,  the  irritation  passes  away  and  the  taster  finds  himself  in 
the  same  condition  as  before,  with  or  without  a  certain  feeling  of  lassitude  or  sadness. 

2.  If  the  white  wine  is  replaced  by  a  red  wine  of  the  same  vintage,  and  taken  at  a 
proper  temperature,  it  will  leave  in  passing  a  distinct  impression  on  the  two  senses  of 
smell  and  taste  of  a  soft  aroma;  its  fluidity  in  the  mouth  is  less,  and  though  it  feels 
more  material,  so  to  speak,  it  leaves  a  less  intense  feeling  of  dry  heat.  Its  contact  with 
the  stomach  produces  a  softer  and  more  gradual  impression. 

The  organ  is  still  warmed,  but  in  a  more  vital  manner,  as  it  were.  As  to  the  svmpa- 
thetic  propagation  of  the  stimulating  action  towards  the  head:  it  still  takes  place,  but 
without  the  nervous  phenomena  of  pressure  and  pain;  the  brain  is  gently  excited.  Its 
extension  to  the  organs  of  the  senses,  if  it  takes  place,  is  no  longer  betrayed  by  the  need 
of  displacement  and  agitation,  but  bv  a  strengthened  desire  for  exercise,  which  is  very 
different.  The  duration  of  the  stimulation  is  more  prolonged  and  ceases  insensibly,  so 
that  the  most  attentive  observation  cannot  detect  the  exact  time  at  which  it  ends. 

Here  is,  we  believe,  the  sufficient  explanation  of  the  difference  of  effect  observed 
between  white  wine  and  red  wine — the  first  (white  wines  of  Graves),  produced  by  fermen- 
tation of  the  must  separate  from  the  pomace,  contains  about  4  to  6  per  cent  of  extractive 
matter  and  tannin;  the  second,  8  to  11  and  12  per  cent  of  the  same  matters. 

It  is  to  this  difference  in  the  proportions  of  the  rough  and  astringent  matters  of  the 
wines  that  we  attribute  their  different  effects. 

In  the  red  wines  the  pressure  of  the  alcohol  on  the  nervous  system  of  the  stomach  is 
softened  by  the  interposition  of  more  abundant  tonic  and  extractive  matters;  the  effect 
is  thus  slow  and  successive.  In  white  wines  it  is  almost  immediate,  and  therefore  stronger 
and  less  lasting. 

Each  of  these  large  groups  into  which  the  various  wines  may  be 
divided  is  susceptible  of  three  subdivisions,  which  are  sufficiently 
natural,  as  they  give  immediately  some  idea  of  the  quality  of  a  wine 
which  enters  into  any  one  of  them. 

These  three  subdivisions  are  the  following: 

1.  Table  wines. 

2.  Dessert  or  alcoholic  wines. 

3.  Blending  or  cutting  wines. 

1.  Table  Wines. 

These  wines  may  be  of  higher  or  lower  quality,  according  to  the 
locality  in  which  they  are  produced,  and  to  the  care  that  is  taken  in 
their  making  and  after-treatment;  they  must  not  be  sweet  nor  too  alco- 
holic; not  aromatic  nor  possessed  of  too  pronounced  a  bouquet,  though 
those  of  higher  quality  may  be  slightly  aromatic;  they  must  not  be  too 
rich  in  color,  too  astringent,  nor  too  acid;  they  ought  not  to  be  harsh  nor  of 
too  heavy  body,  that  is,  too  rich  in  extractive  matter.*  A  wine  of  this 
group  should  be  clean  tasting,  and  should  form  an  harmonious  whole, 
agreeable  to  the  palate  and  stomach,  so  that  it  can  be  drunk  with 
pleasure.  These  wines  are  healthful,  because  they  favor  digestion,  and 
a  certain  quantity  of  them  can  be  taken  without  producing  intoxication 
or  other  physical  disturbance. 

Concisely  the  characters  of  a  typical  table  wine  may  be  described  as 
follows: 

Light  but  not  poor  in  alcohol;  not  the  slightest  tendency  to  sweetness; 
pleasing  but  light  and  delicate  aroma  and  flavor;  nothing  excessive, 
but  complete  harmony  of  all  parts.  A  full  and  generous  homogeneity; 
limpidity;  constancy  of  type.  Though  in  the  matter  of  dishes  variety 

*  "  In  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century  England  consumed  the  light  wines  of 
France,  and,  as  Gladstone  says,  they  laughed  and  sang  in  those  days  in  the  British  realm. 
The  wars  between  France  and  Great  Britain  breaking  out,  the  French  wines  were  pro- 
hibited and  in  their  stead  the  heavy  wines  of  Spain  and  Portugal  were  imported ;  they 
still  drank  as  much,  continues  Gladstone,  but  they  sang  no  longer;  to  laughter  succeeded 
quarrels  and  base  deeds." — R.  Dejermon. 


12  WINE    AND   THE    ART    OP    WINE    TASTING. 

is  both  useful  and  pleasing,  it  is  different  with  wine  where  constant 
uniformity  of  type  is  necessary. 

As  in  this  class  of  wines  are  comprehended  all  qualities  from  the 
finest  to  the  most  ordinary,  it  is  easily  seen  that  other  distinctions  can 
and  must  be  made,  in  order  that  the  wines,  for  example,  of  Barolo  or 
Chianti,  shall  be  distinguished  from  wines  produced  in  some  less  favor- 
able locality. 

The  various  wines  that  enter  into  the  category  under  discussion  can 
be  naturally  and  conveniently  classified  as  follows: 

A. — Superfine,  or  high-class  wines;  the  "Grands  Vins"  of  the  French. 

B. — Fine  wines. 

C. — Fine  common  wines. 

D. — Common  wines. 

E. — Low-grade  wines. 

This  classification,  as  Polacci  would  say,  has  nothing  imaginative 
or  strained  about  it,  as  it  simply  represents  the  wines  that  we  really 
have  and  of  which  we  make  use  in  commerce. 

I  will  now  try  to  give,  not  a  definition,  because  the  name  of  each  class 
is  of  itself  a  definition,  and  should  give  a  fair  conception  of  the  dis- 
tinction to  be  made  between  the  several  classes,  but  an  idea  regarding 
the  characteristics  which  have  served  in  grading  the  wines  which  we 
actually  produce  in  Italy. 

A.  High-class  Wines. — These  are  wines  which  are  produced  in  certain 
spots,  or  rather  which  are  obtained  from  certain  varieties  of  grapes,  grown 
in  especially  favorable  conditions  of  climate,  and  more  particularly  of 
soil,  compared  with  those  of  the  circumjacent  vineyards;  wines  which 
also,  it  may  be  said,  are  the  product  of  an  almost  infinite  series  of  care- 
ful treatments,  beginning  in  the  vineyard  and  continued  through  the 
vintage  and  during  the  whole  time,  which  is  certainly  not  brief,  of  their 
conservation;  wines,  in  short,  which  unite  in  themselves  all  the  char- 
acteristics and  qualities  which  should  be  found  in  a  fine  wine,  united 
with  the  greatest  delicacy  and  fragrance  of  aroma  and  freshness  on  the 
palate.     An  Italian  wine  which  belongs  to  this  class  is  the  Chianti  di 
Brolio.     Of  the  French  wines  of  Bordeaux,  or  more   precisely  of  the 
Medoc,  there   are   Chateau-Lafite   and   Chateau-la-Tour,  the  latter  of 
which  is  distinguished  from  the  former  by  a  slightly  heavier  body  and 
a  more  pronounced  flavor  and  aroma. 

B.  Fine  Wines. — These  are  wines  which  approach  very  nearly  to  the 
preceding  class,  but  are,  nevertheless,  somewhat  inferior  to  them,  either 
in  delicacy  of  aroma  or  in  some  other  quality;  very  often  they  lack  or 
are  deficient  in  the  freshness  which  distinguishes  the  first  class.     These 
wines  are  very  often  the  product  of  grapes  grown  in  the  neighborhood 
of   the  vineyards   producing   the   first-class  wines  which  have  given 
renown  to  the  locality,  but  they  may  be  made  from  grapes  grown  in 
other  localities.     To  this  second  class  belong,  for  example,  those  wines 
of  Chianti  which  resemble  greatly  in  character  the  Chianti  di  Brolio, 
but  do  not  equal  it.     In  the  same  way  among  the  French  wines  of  the 
Medoc,  Saint-Julien  and  Saint-Estephe  approach  but  are  not  equal  to 
Chateau-Lafite. 

It  may  very  possibly  be  that  some  of  the  wines  of  Chianti  exhibit 
qualities  which  place  them,  so  to  speak,  in  rank  with  the  Chianti  di 
Brolio;  then  from  the  second  they  must  be  promoted  to  the  first  class, 
as  is  the  case  with  Chateau-la-Tour,  which,, though  somewhat  different,  is 


WINE    AND    THE    ART    OF    WINE    TASTING.  13 

deemed  worthy  to  stand  in  rank  with  Chateau-Lafite  and  the  other  two, 
Chateaux-Margaux  and  Chateau-Haut-Brion,  which  together  form  the 
four  "  grands  vins,"  high-class  wines  of  the  Gironde. 

'C.  Fine  Common  Wines. — In  this  third  category  are  placed  those 
wines  which  are  intermediate  between  the  fine  wines  and  the  common 
wines.  This  class  of  wines  can  be  produced  in  large  quantities  in  Italy, 
as  there  are  numerous  regions  both  in  the  hills  and  plains  which  pre- 
sent the  requisite  favorable  conditions. 

The  wines  in  question  generally  lack  or  are  deficient  in  delicacy; 
with  time,  and  sometimes,  too,  with  a  little  artificial  aid,  they  acquire 
some  aroma  which  is  not,  however,  always  very  delicate.  These  wines 
form,  or  ought  to  form,  the  bulk  of  our  export  trade;  but  if  we  wish  to  do 
a  steady  trade  we  must  set  ourselves  diligently  to  make  and  properly 
handle  these  wines.  To  do  this  the  producers  must  abandon  the  idea 
of  making  high-class  wines,  and  confine  themselves  to  wines  of  this 
kind. 

The  wines  of  this  class  produced  in  Italy,  especially  by  those  who 
have  recourse  to  artificial  additions,  or  who  do  not  well  understand  the 
processes  of  wine  making,  present  a  certain  dryness  to  the  taste  which 
is  not  exactly  pleasing. 

The  taster  will  pronounce  them  sound  wines  without  any  particular 
defect,  but  he  is  not  quite  satisfied.  This  may  be  owing  to  an  artificial 
aroma,  or  to  the  addition  of  alcohol;  it  may  be  caused  by  heating,  or  by 
a  too  violent  fermentation,  to  the  grapes  having  been  picked  at  the 
wrong  time,  or  to  an  injudicious  correction  of  the  must,  or — but  as  this 
is  not  the  place  to  try  to  account  for  it  it  will  suffice  to  state  the  fact. 

Such  artificial  aids,  then,  as  the  addition  of  drugs,  the  drying  of  the 
grapes,  heating,  etc.,  should  be  abandoned,  and  instead  a  judicious  choice 
of  vines,  or  a  blending  of  grapes  or  wines  substituted;  in  this  way  it 
will  be  possible  to  deliver  to  the  trade  wines  which  have  a  sufficient 
freshness  of  taste  and  frankness  of  flavor;  they  will  be  to  a  certain  . 
extent  smooth  and  delicate,  and  will  possess  more  or  less  of  that  fruity 
taste  so  much  liked  by  consumers. 

D.  Common  Wines,  or  Wines  of  the  Plains. — This  is  a  class  of  wines 
of  which  it  is  not  very  easy  to  give  a  definition  or  to  point  out  its  exact 
limits  in  Order  that  it  may  not  be  confused  with  the  preceding  or  com- 
prehended in  the  following  class.  To  prove  that  this  is  a  real  difficulty 
it  will  suffice  to  quote  the  eminent  agriculturist,  F.  Re:  "I  have  some- 
times drunk  wines  made  from  grapes  grown  in  a  naturally  clayey  soil, 
subjected  to  irrigation,  which  were  very  good,  and  some  even  which 
seemed  to  be  of  superior  excellence." 

I  should  therefore  state  that  all  wines  grown  on  level  ground  cannot 
be  classed  as  common  wines;  even  on  the  plains,  when  the  climate  and 
especially  when  the  soil  and  the  variety  of  grapes  are  particularly  favor- 
able, choice  wines  may  be  produced  which  are  worthy  to  figure  in  the 
preceding  class. 

The  division  or  class  of  common  wines  comprises  all  those  wines  con- 
sumed in  the  largest  quantities,  and  which,  because  of  the  ease  and 
economy  with  which  they  are  produced,  can  be  sold  at  a  low  price,  so  that 
they  find  steady  consumers  among  the  working  classes,  who  consume, 
after  all,  the  greater  part  of  the  product  of  the  vineyards. 

These  wines  are  most  commonly  the  product  of  grapes  grown  on  the 
plain,  either  in  vineyards  or  associated  with  other  crops;  this  does  not 


14  •         WINE   AND    THE    ART    OF    WINE    TASTING. 

exclude  the  possibility  of  producing  such  wines  from  grapes  grown  on 
hills,  and  especially  when  the  exposure  is  unfavorable,  or  when  the 
nature  of  the  soil  is  unsuitable,  or  when,  on  account  of  the  ignorance 
of  the  grape  grower,  who  prefers  quantity  to  quality,  he  plants  by  pref- 
erence those  varieties  which  give  an  abundant  crop  of  very  inferior 
grapes.  Wines  of  this  class  have  very  poor  keeping  qualities,  lasting 
two  years  at  the  most,  and  in  general  in  aging,  with  the  exception  of 
those  which  are  very  rough  and  astringent,  deteriorate  instead  of  im- 
proving. 

These  wines  are  sufficiently  alcoholic,  but  owe  their  conservation  less 
to  their  alcohol  than  to  their  acids,  among  which,  with  many  of  them, 
must  be  included  carbonic  acid.  To  their  acids,  also,  they  owe  most  of 
their  hygienic  value,  which  is  to  aid  in  the  digestion  of  the  food  con- 
sumed by  the  laborers  who  drink  them — food  which  is  naturally  diffi- 
cult of  digestion,  and  rendered  more  so  by  its  ill  preparation. 

These  wines  are  more  nutritious  than  are  those  of  the  preceding  class, 
containing,  as  they  do,  larger  quantities  of  albuminoids,  in  which  grapes 
from  the  plains  usually  abound.  The  reason  of  the  greater  abundance 
of  nitrogenous  matters  in  inferior  grapes  is  the  natural  fertility  of  the 
soil  on  which  they  have  been  grown,  or  the  fact  that  this  ground  has 
been  manured  with  nitrogenous  fertilizers,  with  the  idea  of  increasing 
the  bearing  of  grapes  or  the  production  of  wood  and  foliage. 

These  wines  are  naturally  very  variable,  differing  greatly  according  to 
the  conditions  of  soil,  climate,  and  aspect  under  which  they  have  been 
produced.  To  further  increase  this  variability  man  does  his  best,  seem- 
ing to  take  a  delight  in  practicing  methods  of  wine  making  that  are 
apparently  ingeniously  calculated  to  spoil  the  wine. 

A  wine  of  this  class  should  be  of  easy  digestion,  and  easily  consumed 
in  moderate  quantities,  without  affecting  the  head  or  the  stomach.  It 
should  be  smooth,  clean  tasting,  well  fermented,  with  a  certain  amount 
of  flavor  and  acid,  and  should  show  none  of  the  effects  of  secondary  fer- 
mentations to  which  these  wines  are  so  subject;  finally,  it  should  possess 
a  good,  bright,  but  not  deep,  color. 

I  have  said  a  wine  of  this  class  "should  be"  all  this, because  only  too 
often,  on  account  of  careless  making  or  improper  handling,  they  are 
anything  but  healthful;  they  are,  on  the  contrary,  'heavy  and  indigesti- 
ble, causing,  even  when  used  sparingly,  disturbances  of  the  head  and 
stomach;  they  are  heavy-bodied  wines,  and  so  thick  as  to  be  appropri- 
ately called  by  some  people,  "vini  carnosi;"  their  defects  are  usually 
due  to  the  vessels  in  which  they  have  been  made  and  kept,  to  bad  fer- 
mentation, or  to  the  addition  of  substances  which  have  been  put  in  with 
the  intention  of  preserving  the  wine,  or  of  masking  its  defects.  They 
are  often  costive  and  overcharged  with  tannin  and  coloring  matter, 
recalling,  the  moment  they  touch  the  palate,  the  flavor  of  ink.  Their 
color  is  generally  unstable  and  dull. 

E.  Low-grade  Wines. — These  wines  occupy  the  lowest  grade  on  the 
osnological  scale,  that  is  to  say,  among  natural  wines.  In  drinking  one 
of  these  wines  one  asks  himself  if  it  is  really  a  wine  or  not  rather  a 
piquette  or  mixture  of  water  and  wine,  with  superabundance  of  the 
former.  Except  color,  these  wines  are  deficient  in  all  the  elements 
proper  to  wine.  They  must  be  consumed  promptly  during  the  winter, 
or  they  cease  to  be  wine.  Generally,  to  render  them  drinkable  at  all, 
they  must  be  left  for  some  time  on  their  pomace,  or  on  that  of  better 


WINE    AND    THE    ART    OF    WINE    TASTING.  15 

wines;  or  else  they  can  be  cut  with  other  wines,  or  be  given  the  treat- 
ment usual  in  Tuscany,  known  as  the  "  governo." 

When  these  wines  are  sound  they  do  very  well  for  cutting  with  other 
wines,  thus  making  a  blend  which  can  be  classed  with  the  common 
wines,  or  even  sometimes  with  the  third  class,  or  fine  common  wines. 

2.  Dessert  or  Alcoholic   Wines. 

This  class  includes  all  those  wines  which  the  French  call  "  vins  de 
luxe,"  and  therefore  champagnes  and  other  sparkling  wines,  which,  how- 
ever, are,  unlike  most  of  this  class,  of  relatively  low  alcoholic  strength. 

Sparkling  wines  are  placed  here  because,  as  a  rule,  they  are  of  high 
cost,  and  therefore  "  vins  de  luxe."  However,  we  are  now  producing 
natural  wines  which  are1  afterwards  artificially  made  sparkling,  at  a 
much  less  cost;  and  this  industry  is  assuming  such  proportions  that  it 
cannot  well  be  overlooked. 

Apparatus  of  different  kinds  for  the  production  of  sparkling  wines 
have  been  known  and  used  for  a  long  time  in  France,  Germany,  and 
Austria. 

Latterly  the  practice  of  artificially  making  champagne  from  natural 
dry  wines  has  been  extensively  followed  in  Italy;  this  is  due  to  the  in- 
vention of  the  apparatus  of  Carpene,  which  possesses  above  all  previous 
systems  the  advantages  of  simplicity  and  cheapness.  This  system  has 
rendered  possible  the  production  of  good  sparkling  wines  at  a  moderate 
cost. 

With  this  explanation  regarding  champagne,  and  the  reason  for  plac- 
ing it  in  this  class,  I  pass  to  those  wines  more  properly  belonging  to  it, 
and  here  give  Polacci's  definition  of  "  vini  di  lusso." 

These  wines  are  nearly  always  alcoholic,  more  or  less  aromatic,  and 
are  drunk,  as  a  rule,  aft&r  dinner,  on  which  account  they  are  called  by 
foreigners  dessert  or  after-dinner  wines.  They  are,  so  to  speak,  concen- 
trated, and  are  sipped  from  small  glasses  like  cordials,  for  which  reason 
the  French  know  them  as  "  vins  de  liqueurs."  We  know  them  as  "  vini 
di  lusso,"  because  they  are  certainly  not  necessary  beverages,  and  from 
their  high  cost  are  usually  reserved  for  the  tables  of  the  rich. 

The  many  and  diverse  wines  of  this  class  can  be  divided,  or  rather 
united,  under  the  following  heads:  Sweet  Wines;  Alcoholic  Wines;  Spark- 
ling Wines. 

In  this  class  are  wines  so  well  known,  and  of  such  special  character, 
that  it  is  difficult  to  class  them  together,  and  each  is  usually  spoken  of 
by  itself  as  almost  forming  a  class  apart;  as  with  the  wines  in  the  first 
class,  the  "grand  vins,"  their  qualities  and  peculiarities  are  so  well 
known  that  their  names  alone  is  a  sufficient  description;  such  wines  are 
Marsala,  Lacrima  Christi,  Vernaccia  di  Sardegna,  Malvasia  di  Lipari,  etc. 

3.  Cutting  Wines. 

These  wines  are  rich  in  alcohol,  coloring  matter,  and  body,  but  often 
deficient  in  acid;  they  cannot  be  drunk  alone,  and  the  only  reason  for 
producing  them  is  that  there  are  localities  which  produce  wines  which 
are  thin,  poor  in  color,  weak  in  alcohol,  and  generally  lacking  in  those 
qualities  which  wines  of  this  class  have  in  excess.  A  mixture  of  these 
two  kinds  of  wine,  each  of  which  alone  is  of  little  value,  produce  a  wine 
which  is  sustaining  and  nutritious,  and  especially  suited  to  the  needs 


16  WINE    AND    THE    ART    OF    WINE    TASTING. 

and  means  of  the  laboring  classes.  The  better  kinds  of  these  wines 
may  even  be  blended  to  form  a  wine  which  might  be  placed  among  the 
fine  common  wines,  or  third  class,  and  not  unworthy  of  the  honor  of 
bottling. 

At  the  present  day  the  French  wine  merchants  use  large  quantities 
of  cutting  wines  imported  from  Italy,  Spain,  and  Dalmatia.  Before  the 
invasion  of  the  phylloxera,  their  blends  were  made  with  the  wines  of 
Roussillon,  Languedoc,  Pyrenees-orientales,  Aude,  Gard,  Tarn,  etc.,  all 
wines  rich  in  coloring  matter  and  alcohol,  solid  and  heavy-bodied,  and 
at  the  same  time  smooth,  delicate,  and  with  a  characteristic  and  per- 
sistent aroma  which  is  very  pleasing. 

Here  is,  for  example,  a  blend  or  mixture  of  different  wines  formerly 
much  in  vogue  in  France: 

Wine  of  Roussillon 30  litres. 

Wine  of  Narbonne  60  litres. 

Wine  of  Cher 30  litres. 

Wine  of  Poitou,  blanc 60  litres. 

Wine  of  Bourgogne 30  litres. 

Wine  of  Pique-poule,  at  15  per  cent 15  litres. 

Total 225  litres. 

A  French  writer  thus  justly  expresses  himself:  "After  the  invasion  of 
France  by  the  phylloxera,  commerce  drew  contributions  from  all  wine- 
producing  regions;  science  was  also  brought  to  its  aid;  an  immense 
productive  movement  commenced,  not  only  in  France,  but  in  foreign 
countries,  and  now  wines  flow  in  from  all  parts,  from  Spain,  Italy,  Austria, 
Greece,  the  Crimea,  and  even  from  Australia;  wines  of  all  kinds,  which, 
passing  through  the  skillful  hands  of  our  merchants,  there  receive  the 
official  seal,  the  inimitable  touch,  which  serves  them  for  passport  to  the 
wine  connoisseurs  of  the  entire  world."  Further  on  we  read:  "  In  this 
combination  each  region  plays  its  role,  and  helps  towards  the  final  result 
that  we  desire  to  obtain;  from  Italy  the  blend  obtains  strength,  extract, 
body;  Spain  supplies  softness  and  fruitiness;  our  own  wines  add 
piquancy,  and  economize  on  the  price  of  production." 

In  whatever  way  the  cutting  is  done,  and  whatever  the  combination 
adopted,  the  following  may  be  taken  in  general  as  the  composition  of 
most  blends: 

One  third  wine  of  Italy; 

One  third  wine  of  Spain; 

One  third  "  petits  vins  "  of  France,  or  wine  made  from  dried  grapes. 

Cutting  wines  are  then  of  no  little  importance  to  wine  growing  in 
France,  or  rather  to  the  French  wine  trade;  why  then,  should  they  not 
be  as  important  to  ours,  especially  now  that  the  two  are  in  competition? 

Let  us  then  produce  cutting  wines,  but  let  them  be  well  made  and 
sound.  By  such  wines  the  Italian  wine  trade  will  be  benefited  as  much 
as  is  the  French  now. 


WINE    AND    THE    ART    OF    WINE    TASTING.  17 


n. 

TASTING. 

The  word  "  tasting  "  is  not  used  with  its  ordinary  signification  when 
referring  to  wine,  but  means,  in  that  case,  not  only  the  testing  of  its 
flavor  by  means  of  the  gustatory  organs,  but  also  a  careful  examination 
of  the  wine  in  other  ways;  of  its  appearance,  of  its  bouquet,  as  well  as 
of  its  effect  upon  the  palate;  all  of  which  is  necessary  before  a  final 
judgment  can  be  passed  on  its  character,  its  qualities,  and  its  defects. 

Wine  tasting  is  a  somewhat  difficult  art,  which  cannot  be  acquired 
without  long  practice,  and  then  only  by  one  who  possesses  a  clear  eye 
and  very  delicate  organs  of  taste  and  smell.  When  the  last  two  organs 
have  the  requisite  sensibility,  practice  alone  is  necessary  to  give  them 
the  skill  needed  in  tasting  a  wine. 

It  is  by  frequent  tasting,  by  making  comparisons,  by  the  examination 
of  good  types,  that  this  delicacy  and  sensibility  of  the  palate  is  developed 
which  enables  it  to  detect  and  appreciate  the  faintest  aroma,  flavor,  or 
bouquet,  as  well  as  the  slightest  defect. 

Practically  the  tasting  of  a  wine  is,  up  to  a  certain  point,  of  more 
importance  than  its  chemical  analysis.  Analysis  shows  us  the  principal 
components  of  the  wine  and  the  proportions  in  which  they  are  combined; 
tasting  tells  us  whether  these  components  are  in  proper  proportions  to 
form  an  harmonious  whole,  or  are,  some  of  them,  in  excessive  or  deficient 
amounts;  whether  the  wine  has  '*  seve,"  bouquet,  aroma;  whether  it  is 
mature  or  not;  whether  it  should  be  racked  or  bottled;  what  its  defects 
are,  its  keeping  qualities,  etc. 

Any  one  can  say  whether  a  wine  pleases  him  or  not,  but  only  the 
experienced  taster  can  pronounce  with  any  degree  of  certainty  on  the 
real  properties  and  character  of  a  wine.  A  good  wine  may  be  pleasing 
to-day  and  not  so  to-morrow,  on  account  of  slight  exterior  influences 
which  are  dangerous  to  its  stability  but  may  be  only  transitory  in  their 
effects,  and  the  wine  may  recover  and  be  as  good  as  ever. 

In  order  to  make  useful  deductions  it  is  of  the  highest  importance,  in 
fact  absolutely  necessary,  to  be  able  to  appreciate  and  reflect  on  the  sen- 
sations experienced  in  the  tasting.  It  is  not  every  one  who  can  appre- 
ciate the  true  import  of  what  they  perceive,  but  only  those  who  have 
trained  themselves  by  long  practice. 

The  experienced  taster,  when  called  upon  to  give  his  opinion,  looks  at 
and  attentively  examines  the  wine.  He  then  agitates  it  by  shaking  the 
glass,  and,  when  necessary,  places  his  hand  round  the  glass  in  such  a 
way  as  to  warm  the  wine,  thus  favoring  the  volatilization  of  those  mat- 
ters which  affect  the  olfactory  organs;  he  then  tastes  it. 

Sometimes  the  simple  agitation  of  the  wine  by  twirling  the  glass  is 
not  sufficient,  especially  when  the  sparkling  and  bouquet  are  to  be  par- 
ticularly noticed.  In  this  case  the  wine  must  be  more  thoroughly 
shaken,  which  is  done  by  placing  the  palm  of  the  left  hand  over  the 
mouth  of  the  glass,  and  then  striking  the  bottom  of  it  forcibly  against 
2 


18  WINE    AND    THE   ART    OF    WINE    TASTING. 

the  knee.  This  causes  the  wine  to  give  off  its  odors,  and  in  the  case  of 
sparkling  wines  its  carbonic  acid,  more  freely.  The  method,  writes 
Ottavi,  is  not  very  polished  or  elegant,  but  accomplishes  the  purpose 
very  well. 

As  can  be  easily  seen  the  wine  taster  should  preserve  his  senses,  that 
is,  those  of  smell  and  taste,  with  their  utmost  sensibility;  this  is  only 
done  by  avoiding  excesses  of  all  kinds,  for  these  in  course  of  time  are 
bound  to  diminish  that  sensibility,  or  to  destroy  it  completely.  Thus 
he  must  abstain  from  all  highly  alcoholic  beverages,  from  strongly 
salted  or  flavored  dishes,  from  tobacco  in  any  form,  and  in  general  from 
everything  that  acts  too  energetically  on  the  organs  of  the  above- 
mentioned  senses. 

Physical  indisposition,  more  especially  affections  of  the  nasal  organs, 
the  mouth,  or  throat,  diminish  or  destroy  all  sensibility  of  the  senses  of 
taste  and  smell. 

"  Wine  should  not  be  tasted  fasting,  or  it  will  taste  weak  and  insipid; 
nor  after  drinking  wine;  nor  with  a  full  stomach.  Moreover,  the  taster 
should  not  have  eaten  anything  sour,  salt,  or  bitter,  nor  anything  which 
might  change  his  taste;  but  he  should  have  eaten  a  little,  but  not  yet 
have  digested  it." — Carlo  Stefano. 

The  taster  should  not  attempt  to  give  his  opinion  of  more  than  a 
certain  number  of  wines  at  a  time,  as«after  having  tasted  a  certain 
number  the  senses  become  temporarily  much  impaired  and  incapable  of 
nice  discrimination;  nor  should  he  judge  of  a  wine  after  an  abundant 
repast,  as  the  various  flavors  of  highly  seasoned  or  sweetened  foods  have 
a  great  influence  on  the  palate,  and  prevent  it  from  judging  a  wine 
critically. 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  after  eating  sweet  fruit  a  wine  seems  to 
be  rougher  and  harsher  than  it  really  is,  whilst  cheese,  nuts,  artichokes, 
etc.,  make  it  appear  smoother  and  more  delicate. 

With  piquant  cheese,  like  Parmigiano  and  Roquefort  more  especially, 
which  Grimod  de  la  Reyniere  has  called  "the  tippler's  biscuit,"  all 
wines  seem  good,  or  at  least  much  better  than  they  really  are.  It  is 
also  true  that  strong  and  badly  tasting  wines  when  drunk  undiluted 
destroy  the  sensibility  of  the  palate;  people  habituated  to  these  wines 
end  by  being  unable  to  find  any  taste  in  the  fine  wines  of  delicate  flavor 
which  are  the  delight  of  the  connoisseur. 

Tasters  who  are  accustomed  only  to  high-class  wines,  when  they  taste 
ordinary  or  low-class  wines  are  apt  to  underrate  them,  if  they  do  not 
reject  them  as  altogether  valueless,  though  they  may  be  sound  and 
clean  tasting. 

On  the  other  hand,  tasters  accustomed  to  ordinary  wines  almost 
always  deem  the  prices  paid  for  high-class  wines  excessive. 

This  suggests  the  importance  of  habit  as  a  factor  in  the  modifications 
which  the  taste  may  undergo.  It  may  easily  happen  that  the  prolonged 
use  of  a  substance  may  render  the  sense  of  taste  obtuse,  and  that  the 
tongue  may  become  "  saturated,"  as  Brillat-Savarin  says  in  one  of  his 
happy  aphorisms.  Thus,  when  the  palate  has  become  habituated  to  a 
taste,  that  which  at  first  was  intolerable  becomes  often  pleasing  and 
even  necessary.  Generally,  however,  habit  educates  the  sense  of  taste 
and  renders  it  acute. 

Sometimes  a  taster  is  called  upon  to  give  an  opinion  as  to  the  character, 


WINE   AND    THE    ART    OF   WINE    TASTING.  19 

the  good  or  bad  qualities  of  a  wine  of  a  certain  locality  or  of  some  par- 
ticular producer  or  vineyard;  in  this  case,  even  though  he  may  be  well 
acquainted  with  the  kind  of  wine,  to  be  able  to  give  his  decision  with 
more  confidence,  he  will  carefully  provide  himself  with  a  wine  of  the 
same  type  as  that  which  he  is  called  upon  to  judge;  he  can  thus  receive 
material  aid  by  making  a  comparison. 

Naturally,  a  taster  who  is  used  to  the  wines  of  a  certain  locality  or 
country  will  be  more  easily  able  to  detect  the  slightest  differences 
between  the  wines  of  that  locality,  especially  those  differences  in  fine 
wines  which  distinguish  wines  produced  by  different  vineyards  even  in 
the  same  locality,  and  when  planted  with  the  same  varieties  of  grapes. 

A  taster  should  be  very  cautious  in  giving  an  opinion  of  a  young 
wine,  or  of  one  whose  origin  is  unknown,  and  of  pronouncing  on  its  in- 
trinsic worth;  the  youth  of  the  wine  will  often  mask  defects,  which, 
later,  become  apparent. 

When  it  is  found  necessary  to  taste  several  wines  in  succession,  it  is  a 
good  practice  to  eat  a  little  dry  bread  between  each  wine,  or  to  rinse  out 
the  mouth  with  a  little  fresh  water,  to  neutralize  the  palate,  so  to  speak. 

It  is  always  good  to  rinse  out  the  mouth  with  fresh  water  before  com- 
mencing to  taste. 

Before  commencing  the  tasting,  or  rather  the  final  tasting — that  on 
which  is  based  the  concluding  judgment — the  wines  should  be  sorted; 
for  example,  if  the  wines  are  of  the  same  kind,  but  of  different  ages,  it 
is  best  to  begin  by  tasting  the  weakest,  thinnest,  or  greenest  wines, 
reserving  the  maturer  wines  and  those  which  are  more 'aromatic,  smooth, 
or  alcoholic  for  the  last. 

The  same  is  true  when  there  are  many  and  diverse  wines,  as  at  an 
exposition.  In  this  case  the  tasting  proper  should  be  preceded  by  an 
arranging  of  the  various  wines,  a  thing  which  is  not  done  at  all,  or 
badly  done  as  a  rule,  much  to  the  detriment  of  the  exhibitors.  This 
selection  should  be  based  not  on  the  labels  on  the  bottles,  or  on  the 
statements  of  the  exhibitors,  but  on  a  preliminary  tasting;  in  this  way 
those  who  are  to  judge  the  wines  will  not  be  presented  successively 
with  different  type's  of  wine,  with  wines  of  different  qualities  and  ages 
together,  and,  as  is  unfortunately  the  case,  sometimes  with  defective  or 
bad  ones. 

There  are  tasters  who  are  ready  at  any  time  to  pass  judgment  on  a  wine; 
they  will  even  taste  directly  after  smoking.  Their  opinion,  to  say  the 
least,  is  of  little  value. 

A  good  taster  is  not  always  in  condition  to  exercise  his  art,  and  for 
that  reason  must  sometimes  refuse  to  make  a  tasting  when  he  does  not 
feel  in  a  state  to  judge  critically. 

Here  I  may  appropriately  remark  that  the  wine  dealer  often  relies  too 
much  on  the  lack  of  delicacy  of  taste  on  the  part  of  the  consumer.  He 
should  remember  that  among  his  customers  there  is  occasionally  a  con- 
noisseur, or  at  least  a  fairly  good  taster,  who  can  appreciate  the  wine  at 
its  true  worth,  and  whose  opinion  is  followed  by  the  majority  of  his  other 
customers. 

A  little  advice  is  needed  also  by  those  who  are  called  upon  to  judge 
competing  wines  at  exhibitions  or  elsewhere. 

Without  exaggeration,  I  may  say  that  there  is  scarcely  a  person  in 


20  WINE   AND   THE    ART    OF   WINE    TASTING. 

Italy,  connected  in  any  way  with  wine,  who  has  not  been  called  upon  to 
act  as  judge  in  competitions  of  this  kind.  I  need  not  say  how  much 
harm  this  has  done  our  national  wine  industry;  I  will  simply,  with 
Polacci,  express  the  desire  that  we  might  see  some  day  in  Italy  "  una 
vera  magistratura  enologica,"  a  body  of  competent  men  to  look  after 
these  affairs. 

We  will  now  return  to  our  tasting.  The  forenoon  is  the  time  best 
adapted  for  wine  tasting;  the  wines  are  of  the  proper  temperature,  a 
temperature  which  varies  for  red  wines  between  54°  and  60°  F.,  and 
for  white  wines  between  50°  and  54°  F.;  the  taster  is  in  good  condition , 
and  consequently  the  tasting  may  begin. 

There  should  be  no  bad  odors  present,  and  the  place  in  which  the  tast- 
ing* takes  place  should  be  well  lighted  with  diffused  light,  not  obscurely 
through  a  small  and  narrow  window,  nor  too  brightly  by  the  direct  rays 
of  the  sun;  it  should  be  remote  from  all  noise,  where  the  taster  can 
remain  quite  undisturbed. 

It  is  a  fact  admitted  by  physiologists  that  the  senses  exercise  a  mutual 
influence  on  one  another,  so  that  anything  that  excites  one  sense  has 
the  effect  of  increasing  the  acuteness  of  the  other. 

This  reciprocal  influence  seems  to  be  confirmed  by  the  recent  researches 
of  Dr.  Albertini,  who  says  that  the  defect  of  color-blindness  is  accompa- 
nied by  a  corresponding  deafness  for  certain  sounds.  Thus,  those  who 
cannot  perceive  red  cannot  distinguish  sol,  while  those  who  are  color- 
blind for  green  are  unable  to  recognize  re;  to  this  lack  of  oral  perception 
is  joined  the  inability  to  reproduce  these  notes  with  the  vocal  organs. 

"The  taster,"  writes  Franck,  "should  be  deaf  and  dumb;  deaf,  in  order 
that  his  judgment  of  the  various  qualities  and  defects  revealed  to  him 
by  his  senses  may  be  undisturbed;  dumb,  in  order  to  prevent  the  expres- 
sion of  a  hasty  or  insufficiently  considered  opinion." 

Every  one  has  noticed  how  a  gourmand  will  close  his  eyes  in  order 
better  to  appreciate  the  delicate  flavors  of  a  substance,  thus  bringing  his 
mind  to  a  proper  state  of  attention  by  the  absence  of  all  other  excite- 
ment. This  will  explain  the  exclamation  of  the  court  parasite,  who,  dis- 
gusted with  his  too  turbulent  table  companions,  cried:  "Hush!  You  do 
not  understand  what  you  are  eating." 

*  Here  the  question  asked  in  "  Conseils  d'un  amateur: "  How  should  wine  be  drunk? 
might  appropriately  be  answered.  In  our  opinion,  in  order  that  the  benefits  of  drinking 
it  may  be  enjoyed  in  their  fullness,  the  first  thing  necessary  is  that  the  wine  shall  be 
presented  in  the  manner  most  pleasing  to  the  eye  and  to  the  palate,  for  this  impression 
on  the  senses  has  a  most  important  influence  on  the  rest  of  our  body.  With  this  end 
in  view  we  should  be  scrupulously  careful  to  have  the  wine  at  the  exact  degree  of  tem- 
perature that  the  nature  and  quality  of  the  wine  demand  for  the  proper  development  of 
its  flavor  and  bouquet,  and  then  to  make  a  judicious  choice  of  the  kind  of  glasses  in  which 
it  is  to  be  served.  For  Bordeaux,  Burgundy,  Ghianti,  Barolo,  etc.,  the  proper  temperature 
is  that  of  the  dining-room,  where  they  should  be  placed  for  some  hours  before  they  are 
to  be  consumed.  White  wines,  sweet  wines,  etc.,  must  be  of  the  temperature  of  the  cellar, 
that  is,  supposing  the  cellar  is  very  cool,  otherwise  it  is  necessary  to  cool  the  wine,  either 
by  placing  the  bottles  on  ice,  or  by  placing  them  in  water  containing  a  few  lumps  of  ice, 
but  never  in  the  ice,  for  that  completely  destroys  the  character  of  the  wine.  Champagne 
is  the  only  wine  that  may  be  put  in  ice,  but  even  in  this  case  discretion  should  be  used, 
and  if  the  wine  is  put  in  ice  for  three  or  four  hours  before  being  used  it  will  be  found 
sufficient,  and  the  wine  should  then  be  served  directly  from  the  bottle.  It  is  then  a 
great  mistake  to  place  wine  in  ice  or  in  freezing  mixtures,  for  a  wine  so  treated  destroys 
the  appetite  and  is  injurious  to  the  health. 

The  practice  of  pouring  champagne  into  decanters  containing  ice  cannot  be  too  strongly 
deprecated.  In  the  first  place,  it  is  not  wine  you  drink,  but  a  mixture  of  champagne 
and  water;  and  secondly,  the  temperature  is  never  right,  as  it  cannot  be  regulated. 

Let  us  add  that  ice  should  never  be  put  into  wine,  for  it  destroys  the  bouquet  and  flavor 
of  the  wine,  and  if  it  gives  a  momentary  pleasure  to  the  palate  by  a  sense  of  coolness,  it 
also  renders  the  digestion  slow  and  laborious. 


WINE  AND  THE  ART  OF  WINE  TASTING.  21 

The  taster  should  be  provided  with  a  porcelain  cup,  or  with  the  Bor- 
delais  silver  cup,  which,  however,  may  be  made  smooth,  and  if  so,  the 
bottom  should  be  a  little  raised;  this  cup  is  especially  applicable  to 
young  or  blending  wines,  as  it  is  the  best  for  observing  the  tint  and 
intensity  of  color  and  the  degree  of  limpidity. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  Bordelais  cups;  one  preferred  by  the  sellers, 
and  the  other  by  the  buyers. 

Naturally  the  seller  tries  to  show  off  his  wine  to  the  best  advantage; 
for  this  purpose  he  prefers  a  cup  with  a  raised  bottom,  bright,  shining 
hollows  in  the  sides,  and  a  large  rim,  on  which  the  rays  of  light  have  a 
pleasing  effect. 

The  high  rim  and  the  yellowish  tint  that  the  maker  gives  to  the  silver 
of  the  cup  concur  to  improve  the  appearance  of  the  wine.  The  buyer's 
cup,  on  the  contrary,  is  of  silver  of  its  natural  color,  and  without  the 
exaggerated  rim,  and  without  anything  that  might  modify  the  appear- 
ance of  the  product  to  be  examined. 

•  In  Bordeaux  they  prefer  a  cup  almost  without  border,  a  kind  of  plain 
saucer,  having  in  the  center  a  slight  convexity.  In  this  cup  the  wine 
appears  exactly  as  it  is,  without  the  slightest  artificial  alteration. 

Lately  the  buyers  of  the  Gironde  have  begun  to  use  the  twin  cup — 
that  is,  two  cups  joined  together  with  a  hinge — by  means  of  which  it  is 
possible  to  have  two  wines,  which  it  is  desired  to  compare,  in  almost  the 
same  conditions  with  regard  4o  light. 

Besides  the  Bordelais  cup  he  should  have  at  his  disposal  glasses 
of  various  forms,  but  all  thin  and  homogeneous.  Some  should  be 
chalice-shaped,  but  not  too  long;  some  of  the  shape  known  as  "  Borde- 
lais;" some  cognac  glasses,  narrow  at  the  mouth  and  widening  below, 
that  is,  truncate  egg-shaped.  By  means  of  the  latter,  the  bouquet,  fra- 
grance, and  odors  generally  can  be  best  perceived,  especially  when  their 
disengagement  is  aided  by  shaking. 

Conical  glasses,  on  account  of  their  form,  serve  very  well  to  judge  of 
the  color  of  a  wine,  as  according  to  the  height  in  the  glass  where  the 
wine  is  examined,  there  will  be  a  greater  or  less  thickness  for  the  rays 
of  light  to  traverse.  Between  the  two  extremes  the  differences  of  tint 
(the  gamut  of  color  going  from  rose  to  red  in  the  case  of  red  wines,  and 
from  white  to  golden  in  the  case  of  white  wines)  is  very  interesting,  and 
may  sometimes  give  very  useful  hints. 

The  different  aspects  under  which  a  wine  can  be  considered  are  so 
numerous,  there  is  such  an  almost  infinite  number  of  possible  differences 
in  the  various  qualities  and  defects  that  have  to  be  considered,  that  even 
the  most  expert  taster  would  find  himself  in  great  perplexity  without  a 
proper  and  systematic  arrangement  of  his  sensations.  To  avoid  this 
perplexity  he  proceeds  as  follows: 

He  takes  a  glass  containing  a  small  quantity  of  the  wine;  raises  it  to 
a  level  with  his  eyes,  examining  it  carefully  first  at  arm's  length,  and 
afterwards  more  closely;  raises  and  lowers  the  glass  in  order  to  view  the 
wine  from  above  and  from  below.  By  inclining  the  glass  and  viewing  it 
in  different  positions,  by  giving  the  wine  a  rotary  motion,  making  it  rise 
up  the  sides  of  the  glass,  he  is  assisted  in  his  observations.  In  this  way 
the  taster  learns  all  that  can  be  discerned  by  the  organ  of  sight,  namely: 
the  color  or  colors,  the  degree  of  limpidity,  the  disengagement  of  bubbles 
of  gas,  and  the  degree  of  persistence  with  which  they  cling  to  the  sides 
of  the  glass. 

Its  appearance  is,  to  a  certain  point,  a  sign  of  the  condition  of  the 


22  WINE  AND  THE  ART  OF  WINE  TASTING. 

wine;  from  it  the  taster  receives  his  first  impressions  and  begins  to  form 
his  opinion;  this  opinion  is  as  yet,  however,  very  relative,  and  rests  only 
on  probabilities,  as  a  good  wine  may  possibly  wear  the  aspect  of  a  bad 
one. 

"  Limpidity  and  vivid  color  are  favorable  signs,"  writes  Guyot,  "  but 
they  do  not  constitute  high  quality,  though  the  contrary  appearances 
are  real  defects." 

Thus,  though  the  eye  may  be  pleased,  the  nose  and  palate  may  not  be. 

The  experienced  taster  will  be  able  to  tell,  to  a  certain  extent,  whether 
the  color  is  natural  and  homogeneous,  and  so  to  a  certain  extent  whether 
it  is  artificial;  in  this  latter  case  he  will  be  able  to  make  a  probable 
guess  at  the  nature,  vegetable  or  mineral,  of  the  substances  used  to  give 
color  to,  or  to  enhance  the  color  of,  the  wine. 

The  estimation  of  the  color  of  wine  is  very  important,  especially  with 
cutting  wines  which  are  to  be  mixed  with  others  to  obtain  the  type 
demanded  by  customers. 

• 

The  eye  having  fulfilled  its  office,  it  is  the  turn  of  the  olfactory  organs. 

The  sense  of  smell  resides  in  the  ample  nasal  cavities,  and  more 
especially  in  the  pituitary,  the  mucous  membrane  which  lines  them. 
Odors,  or  better,  infinitesimal  particles  of  substance,  reach  this  membrane 
by  means  of  the  external  organs  of  the  olfactory  apparatus,  that  is,  by 
the  nostrils;  they  may  also  enter  by  the  internal  nostrils,  the  two  open- 
ings which  put  the  nasal  cavities  in  communication  with  the  larynx. 

Physiologists  admit  that  the  sense  of  smell  is  not  provoked  only 
during  inspiration  but  also  during  expiration,  though  in  the  latter  case 
much  more  weakly.  Thus,  Franck  tells  us  that  it  is  during  expiration 
that  we  analyze  the  perfumes  of  wines. 

Besides  the  expiratory  movements  that  we  execute,  sometimes  quickly 
and  intermittently,  sometimes  slowly,  in  order  to  place  fresh  portions  of 
air  in  contact  with  the  mucous  membrane,  the  cavities  formed  by  the 
folds  of  the  mucous  membrane  are  of  great  aid  in  the  perception  of 
odors,  as  the  air  laden  with  odorous  particles  accumulates  in  them,  and 
thus  prolongs  the  impression.  The  mucous  membrane  may  be  more  or 
less  sensitive  according  to  its  relative  state  of  dryness  or  humidity, 
which,  as  I  have  shown,  are  much  affected  by  colds  in  the  head.  When 
too  dry  the  cellules  are  almost  indurated,  and  when  too  moist  they  are 
separated  from  the  air  by  a  watery  layer  which  prevents  their  regular 
action. 

As  may  be  supposed  from  the  foregoing,  the  sense  of  smell  will  receive 
two  impressions,  or  rather,  will  receive  impressions  at  two  different 
times,  the  first  before  the  wine  is  tasted,  and  the  second  when  the  tongue 
and  palate  have  almost  finished  their  action;  that  is,  when  the  taster 
commences  to  swallow  the  wine. 

The  sensations  received  the  second  time  are  various  and  very  different 
from  those  received  at  first. 

The  first  sensations  are  those  caused  by  the  readily  volatile  sub- 
stances that  the  wine  contains,  and  which  are  given  off  at  the  ordinary 
temperature  of  the  wine,  and  without  other  assistance  than  the  shaking 
and  motion  given  to  it  by  the  hand  of  the  taster. 

The  second  series,  which  is  perceived  during  or  after  swallowing  the 
wine,  is  caused  by  the  substances  which  are  volatilized  by  the  increased 
temperature  due  to  the  heat  of  the  mouth  and  to  the  wine  being  well 


WINE    AND    THE    ART    OF    WINE    TASTING.  23 

"subdivided"  by  the  tongue,  and  finally  to  the  action  of  the  juices 
secreted  by  the  various  parts  of  the  mouth. 

The  taster  having  thoroughly  examined  the  appearance  of  the  wine, 
lifts  the  glass  to  a  convenient  distance  and  inhales  the  odors  which  are 
given  off,  and  which  fill  the  upper  part  of  the  glass,  sometimes  shaking 
or  striking  the  glass  to  aid  their  giving  off. 

A  wine  may  give  off  various  odors,  good  or  bad.  I  will  treat  of  both 
of  these  when  I  come  to  describe  the  qualities  good  and  bad  which  a 
wine  may  present. 

Before  proceeding  further  with  the  tasting  it  will  be  interesting  to 
repeat  the  observations  of  Guyot,  and  of  Brillat-Savarin,  the  "  modern 
epicure/'  regarding  the  colors  and  aromas  of  wines. 

"  The  aroma,  like  the  color,"  writes  Guyot.  "  is  a  favorable  or  an  un- 
favorable, an  agreeable  or  a  disagreeable  sign;  but  wine  is  above  all  an 
alimentary  beverage;  it  is  well  that  sight  and  smell  should  be  satisfied, 
but  it  would  be  puerile  and  ridiculous  to  give  undue  importance  to  the 
satisfaction  of  these  two  senses,  and  to  found  the  pretensions  of  a  wine 
to  superiority  exclusively  on  its  pleasing  effect  on  one  or  both  of  them. 

"  I  make  this  remark  expressly  because  there  are  many  hosts  who 
have  a  troublesome  habit  of  insisting  that  their  guests  shall  continually 
inhale  the  odors  given  off  by  their  wine,  and  especially  insist  on  their 
smelling  their  empty  glasses  during  a  great  part  of  the  dinner,  at  the 
risk  of  making  them  die  of  thirst.* 

"  The  connoisseur,  like  the  taster,  knows  perfectly  well  the  importance 
of  the  color  and  bouquet  of  a  wine,  but  he  knows  also  that  their  appre- 
ciation should  be  immediately  followed  by  the  introduction  of  the  liquid 
into  the  anterior  portion  of  the  mouth. 

"  The  color  and  the  bouquet  are  two  introductory  notes  of  a  gastro- 
nomic theme.  Alone  they  have  but  a  relative  value,  and  give  but  a 
partial  impression  of  the  whole  theme." 

Brillat-Savarin,  who  is  an  authority  in  matters  of  taste,  writes,  in 
his  "Physiologic  du  Gout:" 

"  For  my  part  I  am  not  only  persuaded  that  without  the  sense  of 
smell  there  is  no  complete  tasting,  but  I  am  tempted  to  believe  that  taste 
and  smell  constitute  but  one  sense,  of  which  the  mouth  is  the  labora- 
tory and  the  nose  the  chimney;  or  to  speak  more  literally,  of  which  the 
former  serves  to  taste  the  tangible  parts  and  the  latter  the  gaseous." 

Thus,  for  example,  when  we  eat  a  peach,  the  first  thing  that  strikes  us 
is  its  perfume;  when  we  place  it  in  the  mouth  we  experience  a  sensation 
of  coolness  and  acidity  which  invites  us  to  continue;  but  it  is  only 
when  the  mouthful  is  swallowed,  when  it  passes  beneath  the  nasal  cavi- 
ties, that  we  perceive  the  perfume,  and  the  peach  completes  the  impres- 
sion that  it  should  produce.  This  will  explain  why  the  sensations  which 
are  usually  accredited  to  the  sense  of  taste  are  in  reality  much  more 
complicated  than  is  supposed,  and  that  touch  and  smell  contribute  in 
great  part  to  the  complex  effect.  It  may  be  said  that  without  smell 
taste  would  be  reduced  to  very  little  and  its  agreeable  sensations  much 
enfeebled.  Taste  and  smell  combine  with  and  complete  each  other,  and 
Thomson  has  very  justly  defined  them  as  the  instruments  of  a  unique 

*  Here  Guyot  might  safely  add  that  these  people  who  are  so  troublesomely  importu- 
nate are  generally  those  who  have  recourse  to  the  addition  of  artificial  aromas  to  their 
wines. 


24  WINE  AND  THE  ART  OF  WINE  TASTING. 

sense.  It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  if  the  nose  be  held  whilst  tasting  a 
substance  we  perceive  the  fundamental  tastes,  such  as  sweetness,  bitter- 
ness, salt,  and  acid,  but  all  the  delicate  flavors  disappear  completely. 

We  have  now  arrived  at  the  sense  of  taste,  or,  as  some  call  it,  the 
tasting  proper.  The  sense  of  taste,  with  its  somewhat  complicated 
apparatus,  is  the  one  which  has  the  most  important  office  to  fulfill;  by 
it  we  decide  whether  the  wine  has  the  freshness,  solidity,  strength, 
delicacy,  etc.,  in  short,  the  qualities  required  by  the  most  critical  taster. 

The  principal  seat  of  the  sense  of  taste  is  the  tongue,  although  it 
seems  to  have  been  proved  that  both  the  anterior  face  of  the  membrane 
of  the  palate  and  the  posterior  part  of  the  palate  are  capable  of  receiv- 
ing gustatory  impressions. 

According  to  the  illustrious  Professor  Lussana,  the  tip  of  the  tongue 
is  distinguished  by  its  ability  to  detect  the  finest  gradations  of  flavor, 
whilst  the  posterior  part,  on  the  other  hand,  is  distinguished  by  the  in- 
tensity of  its  sensations,  and  is  therefore  more  impressed  by  repugnant 
flavors. 

Different  parts  of  the  organs  of  taste  receive  different  impressions 
from  the  same  sapid  substance. 

The  action  of  sapid  substances  in  contact  with  the  tasting  apparatus 
is  somewhat  complex,  and  is  physico-chemical  rather  than  mechanical, 
as  formerly  supposed. 

For  this  reason  the  particular  gustatory  sensation  due  to  any  aliment- 
ary substance  is  felt  more  keenly  when  the  substance  is  kept  for  some 
time  in  contact  with  the  tasting  membranes,  as  is  the  case,  for  instance, 
in  slow  mastication. 

This  time,  however,  should  not  be  too  much  prolonged  in  tasting 
wine,  or  it  becomes  impossible  to  distinguish  between  the  many  and 
diverse  flavors  which  a  wine  presents. 

The  taster,  having  now  critically  examined  the  wine  to  the  best  of 
his  ability,  by  means  of  the  eye  and  the  exterior  part  of  the  organ  of 
smell,  must  pass  quickly  to  the  domain  of  the  sense  of  taste. 

To  this  end,  he  slightly  lowers  his  head,  carries  the  glass  to  his  lips, 
and  introduces  a  sip  of  the  wine  into  the  anterior  part  of  his  mouth, 
where  the  sense  of  taste  receives  its  first  impressions. 

The  taster  retains  the  wine  in  this  part  of  the  mouth  for  a  certain 
time;  and  in  order  better  to  perceive  the  various  flavors  that  affect  this 
part  of  the  tasting  apparatus,  he  divides  and  subdivides  the  wine  with 
the  tip  of  his  tongue,  or  as  experts  express  it,  he  "  breaks  up  "  the  wine, 
in  order  to  increase  the  surface  of  contact  between  the  wine  and  the 
gums,  palate,  and  tip  of  the  tongue. 

As  soon  as  the  taster  has  received  a  distinct  impression  of  all  the 
sensations  caused  by  the  wine  in  this  part  of  the  mouth — that  is,  of 
those  due  to  sugar,  acid,  tannin,  etc. — he  slowly  raises  his  head,  thus 
allowing  the  wine  to  pass  to  the  posterior  part  of  the  mouth,  when  he 
takes  a  short  breath  and  slightly  gargles;  at  this  stage  of  the  operation 
he  will  perceive  any  earthy,  bitter,  or  mawkish  taste,  or  any  taste  of 
wood,  cork,  etc.,  that  the  wine  may  have;  here  he  will  also  remark  the 
alcoholic  strength  or  weakness  of  the  wine.  The  wine  is  then,  so  to 
speak,  left  to  itself  and  passes  into  the  larynx,  the  oesophagus,  and  on 
into  the  stomach. 

As  the  wine  passes  down  the  throat  it  gives  off  odors  which,  as  has 
been  mentioned,  ascend  to  the  palate  and  the  internal  nasal  ducts.  The 


WINE    AND    THE    ART    OP    WJNE    TASTING.  25 

effect  of  these  odors,  and  therefore  of  the  qualities  a*nd  defects  of  the 
wine,  is  intensified  if  the  moment  the  wine  is  swallowed  the  mouth  is 
moved  as  though  masticating  something. 

It  has  been  attempted  to  measure  the  duration  of  certain  sensations; 
i.  6.,  those  due  to  the  aromas,  bouquets,  flavors,  alcoholic  strength,  and 
the  various  tastes  of  wine. 

In  general  these  sensations  are  perceived  in  the  brief  space  of  time  of 

3  seconds,  and  their  duration  varies  from  10  to  20  seconds.     After  the 
wine  has  been  swallowed  all  the  sensations  disappear  in  about  7  or  8 
seconds.     In  certain  special  cases  the  aromas   leave   a   more   lasting 
impression;  bad  tastes  persist  longer  than  good  ones.     In  some  wines 
the  aroma  can  be  perceived  for  55  or  60  seconds. 

The  sensation  due  to  astringency  is  of  short  duration  in  fine  wines, 
and  is  much  less  intense  than  in  the  case  of  wines  made  from  immature 
grapes,  where  it  makes  a  violent  impression  on  the  lips  and  the  sides  of 
the  mouth,  which  lasts  sometimes  for  100  to  110  seconds. 

Different  bad  tastes  have  different  ways  of  showing  themselves;  some 
are  noticeable  the  moment  the  wine  enters  the  mouth,  while  others  are 
not  perceived  till  some  seconds  after  the  wine  is  swallowed. 

Some  moldy  tastes  do  not  manifest  themselves  for  7  or  8  seconds  after 
the  wine  has  left  the  mouth,  but  persist  for  100  or  140  seconds. 

The  "gout  de  ranee"  is  perceived  in  from  10  to  15  seconds,  and  lasts 
for  50  or  60  seconds.  The  bitterness  of  some  wines  makes  itself  felt  in 

4  or  5  seconds,  and  persists  for  as  much  as  280  seconds. 

In  tasting,  it  should  be  kept  in  mind  that  certain  qualities  are  liable 
to  variations,  according  to  the  condition  and  age  of  the  wine.  The  deli- 
cacy of  a  wine,  for  example,  is  almost  totally  hidden  when  the  wine  is 
young;  the  more  so  the  younger  the  wine.  This  is  due  to  certain  sub- 
stances which  are  proper  to  new  wines,  but  which,  later,  are  deposited 
and  disappear  from  the  composition  of  the  wine. 

Aromas  are  more  or  less  intense,  according  to  their  origin  and  to  the 
very  variable  circumstances  under  which  they  are  formed. 

The  sense  of  taste  is  the  final  judge,  and  from  its  sentence  there  is  no 
appeal.  But  how  much  careful  consideration  should  be  used  before  this 
judgment  is  pronounced;  what  a  multitude  of  sensations  must  be  con- 
sidered, on  all  of  which  this  judgment  must  be  based! 

The  tongue,  the  cheeks,  the  gums,  the  anterior  and  posterior  palates, 
the  larynx,  the  nasal  cavities,  and  to  a  certain  extent  the  stomach,  all 
contribute  their  separate  sensations,  which  must  all  be  taken  into 
account.  Besides  these,  the  taster  has  also  the  sensations  received  by 
the  eye  and  the  nose.  With  all  this  varied  testimony  to  consider,  he 
should  reflect  deeply  before  delivering  his  verdict.  For  this  reason,  the 
taster,  during  the  tasting  and  the  few  moments  following,  truly  solemn 
moments,  should  be  completely  undisturbed  by  noise  or  otherwise. 

A  taster  can  sometimes  conveniently  express  his  verdict  of  quality  by 
means  of  numbers;  usually  those  from  1  to  10  are  used,  and  correspond 
to  the  following  expressions: 
10— Perfect. 
9 — Almost  perfect. 
8 — Quite  good. 
7 — Relatively  good. 
6 — Fair;  sound,  but  not  harmonious. 
From  5  to  0  indicate  various  defects,  according  to  their  gravity. 


26  WINE  AND  THE  ART  OF  WINE  TASTING. 


m. 

QUALITIES  AND  DEFECTS  OP  "WINES. 

The  art  of  wine  tasting,  like  every  art  or  science,  has  a  language  of 
its  own,  without  which  the  taster  could  not  properly  express  his  criti- 
cisms, nor  compare  his  opinions  with  those  of  other  tasters  regarding  the 
same  wine. 

This  renders  it  necessary  to  define  or  explain  the  various  terms  that 
have  been  adopted  by  tasters  to  express  the  sensations  experienced  by 
their  senses  of  sight,  smell,  and  taste,  during  the  examination  of  a  wine. 

FOAM  (Spuma,  It.;  Mousse,  Fr.). — When  a  wine  is  poured  from  one 
vessel  to  another,  or  agitated  in  any  way,  there  forms  a  more  or  less 
abundant  foam;  that  is,  at  the  surface  of  the  wine  there  are  formed  in 
greater  or  less  quantities  collections  of  little  gaseous  bubbles. 

FINE  FOAM  (Spuma  di  gr ana  fine,  It.;  Mousse  a  perles  fines,  Fr.). — The 
foam  due  to  the  formation  of  very  small  bubbles. 

COARSE  FOAM  (Spuma  di  grana  grossa,  It.;  Mousse  a  grosses  perles, 
Fr.). — When  the  bubbles  are  larger. 

EVANESCENT  FOAM  (Spuma  evanescente,  It.;  Mousse  evanouissante, 
Fr.). — Said  of  that  which  disappears  immediately,  or  almost  as  soon 
as  formed.  As  the  old  saying  has  it:  "  Vino  die  brucia  la  spuma  "  (a  wine 
that  consumes  its  foam). 

PERSISTENT  FOAM  (Spuma  persistente,  It.;  Mousse  persistante,  Fr.). — 
When  the  foam  lasts  some  time  and  disappears  slowly. 

Persistent  foam,  as  a  rule,  is  characteristic  of  a  wine  poor  in  alcohol; 
of  a  wine  at  a  low  temperature,  or  of  a  wine  in  need  of  racking,  or,  it 
may  be,  of  a  wine  which  is  undergoing  a  slow  fermentation,  which  may 
be  either  the  normal  and  necessary  alcoholic  fermentation,  or  may  be 
what  is  known  as  a  secondary  fermentation,  in  which  case  the  wine  is  a 
prey  to  some  malady — tartaric  fermentation,  for  example. 

The  foam  may  also  be  persistent  on  account  of  effervescence,  that  is, 
the  continued  giving  off  of  carbonic  acid,  which  is  dissolved  in  the  wine, 
and  which  in  escaping  on  the  decrease  of  pressure  forms  little  bubbles 
which  renew  the  foam. 

In  the  first  cases  cited  above,  the  foam  is  usually  limited  to  a  more  or 
less  imperfect  crown  or  ring  of  bubbles  which  form  around  the  edge  of 
the  glass;  or  if  the  wine  contains  more  than  the  usual  amount  of  car- 
bonic acid  a  bubble  of  gas  will  now  and  then  be  formed  and  rise  to  the 
surface. 

When  some  disease  is  the  cause  of  the  persistent  foam,  especially  if  it 
be  that  known  as  " subbollimento,  cercone,  or  vino  girato"  (vin  tourne  of 
the  French),  the  circle  formed  is  called  "unghia"  (nail),  from  which 
the  expression  "  il  vino  fa  Vunghia  nel  bicchiere."  [This  disease  of  turned 
wine  is  due  to  the  filiform  ferment,  which  destroys  the  tartar  of  the 
wine. — Trans.] 

In  the  last  case,  when  the  persistent  foam  is  due  to  effervescence, 
which  may  be  of  various  intensities,  several  distinctions  are  made,  of 
which  the  following  are  the  principal: 


WINE  AND  THE  ART  OF  WINE  TASTING.  27 

SHARP,  PUNGENT  (Frizzante,  Piccante,  Wine  vjhich  has  the  Pinzo,  It.; 
Mordant,  Piquant,  Fr.). — In  this  case  there  is  a  somewhat  abundant 
giving  off  of  bubbles  of  carbonic  acid  when  the  wine  is  agitated,  and 
even  after,  which  tend  to  cling  to  the  sides  of  the  glass.  Some  one  has 
written  of  a  wine  of  this  kind  that  "nel  berlo  bacid  e  morde"  (it  kisses 
and  bites);  it  makes  itself  felt  as  a  smarting  or  pricking  on  the  palate. 

"  Sorb  forse  pill  frizzante 
Pili  razente  e  piU  piccante." — Redi. 

This  pricking  is  caused  by  the  presence  of  a  larger  amount  of  carbonic 
acid  than  is  normal  to  the  temperature  and  pressure. 

The  Tuscan  usage  of  "governo"  imparts  this  character  to  a  wine. 

"  When  the  violent  fermentation  is  over,  throw  in  two  handfuls  of 
dried  grapes  to  each  vat;  this  will  make  the  wine  clearer  and  more 
piquant." — Davanzati. 

However,  Polacci  rightly  says:  "For  us  a  wine  governato  is  always  a 
defective  wine." 

FOAMING  (Spumeggiante,  It.;  Ecumant,  Fr.). — This  is  said  of  wines 
which  contain  so  much  gas  that  when  they  are  agitated  bubbles  are 
given  off  copiously,  enough  to  form  a  layer  of  foam  over  the  whole  sur- 
face of  the  liquid.  In  the  words  of  Redi: 

"  Che  nei  vetri  zampilla, 
Salta,  spumeggia,  e  brilla." 

Wines  which  are  bottled  young,  before  they  are  well  defecated,  or 
which  contain  sugar  when  bottled,  easily  become  "  spumeggiante  "  when 
kept  in  a  cool  place. 

SPARKLING  (Spumante,  Mussante,  It.;  Mousseux,  Fr.). — This  is  said  of 
win.es  which,  after  pouring  into  a  glass,  give  off  from  every  part  an 
abundant  supply  of  bubbles  of  carbonic  acid,  or  foam,  which  collects 
at  the  surface  and  is  continuously  renewed  for  some  time.  The  wine 
bubbles,  and  as  is  commonly  said,  pearls  the  surface. 

In  sparkling  wines,  the  carbonic  acid  is  in  solution  at  a  relatively 
high  pressure. 

In  these  wines,  after  the  first  violent  ebullition  of  gas,  there  is  what 
is  known  as  the  "fontanella,"  sparkling,  which  is  due  to  a  continuous 
development  of  very  small  bubbles  of  gas,  which,  starting  from  certain 
points  at  the  sides  or  bottom  of  the  glass,  rise  like  little  chains  of  beads 
to  the  surface,  where  they  cause  the  phenomenon  known  as  pearling. 

Of  sparkling  wines  there  are  three  grades,  based  upon  the  amount  of 
foaming,  or  rather  on  the  amount  of  carbonic  acid  which  is  given  off, 
and  on  the  length  of  time  during  which  the  foaming  continues.*  These 
grades  are: 

CREAMING,  GENTLY  SPARKLING  (Mezzo  spumante,  It.;  Cremant,  Fr.). — 
These  are  wines  in  which  only  a  slight  layer  of  foam  forms,  and  which 
give  off  but  a  moderate  amount  of  gas;  that  is,  effervesce  very  slightly. 

The  pressure  exerted  by  these  wines  on  the  interior  of  the  bottles  is 
less  than  three  atmospheres. 

ORDINARY  "SPARKLING,  OR  MEDIUM  PRESSURE  (Spumante,  bella  spuma, 
It.;  Mousseux  ordinaires,  Fr.). — In  these  wines  there  is  sufficient  gas  to 
cause  the  foam  to  flow  from  the  bottle  the  moment  it  is  uncorked.  The 

*The  French  have  a  fourth  grade,  which  they  call  Tissane,  and  which  includes  second 
and  third-rate  wines,  which  are,  however,  fairly  drinkable. 


28  WINE    AND    THE    ART    OF    WINE    TASTING. 

pressure  in  this  case  varies  from  three  to  three  and  one  half  atmos- 
pheres. 

STRONGLY  EFFERVESCENT  (Molto  spumante,  Spuma  forte,  It.;  Grand 
mousseux,  Fr.). — In  these  the  cork  is  forcibly  ejected  from  the  bottle 
when  unwired,  and  the  wine  is  sufficiently  charged  with  gas  to  be  ex- 
pelled from  the  bottle  by  its  own  pressure. 

In  these  wines  the  pressure  approaches  or  surpasses  four  atmospheres. 
The  maximum  pressure  that  bottles  will  stand,  without  great  danger,  is 
about  six  atmospheres.* 

Either  too  low  or  too  high  a  pressure  is  a  serious  defect  in  sparkling 
wines.  If  the  pressure  is  too  low  they  do  not  effervesce;  if,  on  the  other 
hand,  the  pressure  is  too  great,  as  in  the  case  of  bottles  which  the  French 
call  "  recouleuses,"  there  is  a  ruinous  percentage  of  broken  bottles,  or  if 
the  bottles  do  not  burst  the  cork  is  driven  out,  and  most  of  the  wine  lost. 

The  carbonic  acid  which  is  dissolved  in  these  wines,  is  produced  by 
the  fermentation  of  added  sugar,  or  of  a  portion  of  that  which  the  must 
contained. 

As  already  stated,  wines  which  have  been  fermented  dry,  and  not 
with  a  view  of  making  them  sparkling,  can  be  rendered  so  afterwards  by 
being  charged,  at  a  high  pressure  and  low  temperature,  with  carbonic 
acid.  On  this  is  based  the  system  of  Carpene,  a  system  now  much  used 
both  in  Italy  and  abroad. 

Sparkling  wines  may  be: 

SWEET  (Dolci,  It.;  Doux,  Fr.). — When  the  sweetness  is  decided  and 
due  to  a  large  addition  of  syrup. 

DRY  (very  slightly  sweet)  (Semidolci,  Dolcigni,  It.;  Doucedtres,  Fr.). — 
When  the  sweetness  is  slight  or  hardly  noticeable. 

EXTRA  DRY  (Secchi,  Asciutti,  It.;  Sees,  Fr.). — Which  the  English 
taste  calls  for;  when  there  is  no  trace  of  a  taste  of  sweetness. 

In  various  red  wines  the  foam  may  present  different  colors,  as: 

WHITE  (Bianca,  It.;  Blanche,  Fr.). — The  case  usually  with  old  wines. 
There  are,  also,  in  some  localities,  young  red  wines  of  which  the  foam  is 
white  or  whitish. 

ROSE  (Rosea,  It.;  Rosee,  Fr.). — This  is  the  case  with  lightly  colored 
young  wines,  and  is  characteristic,  it  may  be  said,  of  mature  wines. 

RED,  RUBY  (Rossa,  Rossa  rubino,  Vermiglia,  It.;  Rouge,  Vermeille,  Fr.). 
The  color  of  the  foam  of  heavy-bodied,  deeply  colored  young  wines. 

ORANGE  RED  (Rossa  granato,  It.;  Rouge  grenat,  Fr.). — This  is  a  deep 
vinous  red,  resembling  the  color  of  pomegranates,  and  is  often  seen  in 
cutting  wines,  or  those  blended  with  them. 

BLUISH  (Turchiniccia,  Bleuastra,  It.;  Bleudtre,  Fr.). — Seen  in  wines 
poor  in  acid;  as  in  some  cutting  wines  which  possess  only  from  3  to  4 
per  cent  in  acid. 

BRIGHT,  CLEAR  (Viva,  Brillante,  Smagliante,  It.;  Vive,  Brillante,  Fr.). 
When  the  foam  has  a  clear,  crystalline  appearance;  this  is  generally 
seen  in  generous,  young  wines  of  full  acidity. 

DULL,  DEAD  (Poco  viva,  Morta,  It.;  Morte,  Fr.). — The  opposite  of  the 

*As  a  rule,  authors  give  higher  figures  for  the  pressure  of  the  various  kinds  of  cham- 
pagne than  1  have  indicated,  but  the  fact  is,  that  my  figures,  if  not  too  low,  are  certainly 
not  too  high.  Of  this,  I  am  assured  by  Professor  Carpene,  who,  in  his  experiments  with 
sparkling  wines,  had  occasion  to  test  the  pressures  of  many  wines  from  the  best  accred- 
ited foreign  and  domestic  houses. 


WINE    AND    THE    ART    OF    WINE    TASTING. 


29 


foregoing;   indicates  a   diseased  or   decrepit  wine,  or  one   in  need  of 
racking. 

After  the  foam  is  disposed  of,  the  taster  remarks  on  the  degree  of 
limpidity  which  the  wine  presents;  a  wine  is  said  to  be: 

CLEAR  (Limpido,  It.;  Limpide,  Fr.). — When  it  is  transparent  and  with- 
out cloudiness;  or  what  Columella  calls  "vinum  defaecatum  quam  lim- 
pidissimum." 

BRIGHT,  BRILLIANT  (Brillante,  Diafano,Lucido, Smagliante, It.',Brillant, 
Lucide,  Luisant,  Fr.). — These  terms  are  used  to  express  a  perfect  and,  as 
it  were,  crystalline  transparency.  This  is  the  condition  of  wines  that 
have  been  well  clarified  or  filtered. 

It  may  be  noted  here  that  clarification,  unlike  nitration,  slightly 
modifies  the  composition  of  wine,  as  is  proved  by  the  quantitative  deter- 
mination of  Professor  Carpene,  relative  to  wines  that  had  been  treated 
with  white  of  egg.  Following  are  the  results  of  these  determinations: 


Tannin. 

OSnocyanin. 

Extractive 
Subtances. 

Ash. 

Wine  of  1873,  unclarified  •_ 

0.91 

0.42 

21.39 

312 

Wine  of  1873,  clarified           __  

0.41 

0.24 

19.91 

306 

Wine  of  1874,  unclarified 

1.15 

0.82 

24.22 

280 

Wine  of  1874,  clarified 

0.57 

0.44 

2017 

279 

The  quantity  of  albumen  employed  was  about  100  c.c.  per  hectolitre 
(1  per  m.,  or  1  pint  to  125  gallons),  which  is  a  usual  dose. 

CLOUDY,  DULL  ( Vellato,  Appannato,  It.;  Voile,  Fr.). — This  is  said  of 
wines  that  are  not  quite  clear,  that  show  a  slight  cloud  or  dimness,  due 
to  the  presence  in  them  of  substances  in  suspense  in  a  very  fine  state  of 
subdivision.  This  is  noticed,  for  example,  in  wines  recently  racked, 
especially  when,  during  the  operation,  they  have  been  much  exposed  to 
the  air  and  drawn  into  well-sulphured  barrels. 

This  slight  defect,  which  is  easily  cured,  is  also  frequently  found  in 
wines  made  from  grapes  grown  on  rich  soil,  and  also  in  wines  which, 
being  poor  in  acid,  have  not  undergone  a  complete  fermentation. 

Wines,  of  course,  may  possess  different  degrees  of  cloudiness,  which 
are  generally  expressed  by  the  terms  cloudy,  slightly  cloudy,  nearly 
clear,  etc. 

TURBID,  MURKY,  THICK  (Torbido,  It.;  Trouble,  Casse,  Fr.). — When  the 
suspended  particles  are  large  enough  to  be  almost  visible  to  the  naked 
eye,  and  present  in  sufficient  quantity  to  completely  destroy  the  trans- 
parency of  the  wine  and  make  it  almost  opaque.* 

*01d  bottled  wines  may  be  turbid  either  because  they  nave  become  unsound,  as  hap- 
pens very  easily  when  bottled  too  young,  or  because  they  have  not  been  thoroughly 
defecated  before  being  bottled,  or  it  may  be,  because  they  have  been  moved  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  stir  up  the  slight  deposit  which  all  wines  throw  down  in  time  in  greater  or 
less  quantities.  If  the  wine  is  unsound  there  is  no  need  of  precautions,  for  the  wine 
has  become  undrinkable;  if,  on  the  contrary,  the  turbid  wine  is  sound  it  must  be  moved 
with  the  greatest  caution,  and  to  prepare  it  for  the  table  it  will  be  found  useful  to  follow 
the  rules  of  C.  Ladrey,  who  writes  thus: 

"  When  the  time  arrives  to  drink  a  wine  which  has  lain  in  bottle  for  some  years,  the 
first  thing  to  do  is  to  examine  the  bottle  with  great  care  when  it  is  lifted  up.  It  should 
be  lifted  up  cautiously,  retaining  it  in  its  horizontal  position.  By  carrying  the  wine 
into  the  lignt,  daylight  or  artificial,  it  is  easy  to  ascertain  whether  the  wine  is  perfectly 
clear  or  has  a  deposit.  If,  as  may  happen,  the  wine  be  perfectly  clear,  without  trace  of 
deposit,  the  bottle  may  be  stood  up  and  the  wine  served  from  it  without  decantation. 
This  case,  however,  is  very  rare,  and,  especially  with  old  wines,  there  is  generally  a  deposit. 


30  WINE    AND    THE    ART    OP    WINE    TASTING. 

A  wine  from  low-land  grapes,  in  which  tartaric  fermentation  has 
reached  the  stage  of  development  when  carbonic  acid  begins  to  be 
freely  given  off,  is  a  good  example  of  this  condition. 

This  defect  may  be  simply  transitory,  as  when  a  wine  has  lately 
received  some  treatment,  or  an  addition  of  alcohol  or  tartaric  acid,  or 
directly  after  cutting  or  mixing  wines,  or  when  a  wine  has  been  much 
shaken  or  been  exposed  to  too  low  a  temperature.  If  the  defect  is  per- 
manent, it  shows  that  the  wine  is  diseased  or  ready  to  become  so,  or 
that  the  wine  has  been  badly  made.  In  the  former  cases  the  wine  sim- 
ply needs  time  to  depose  or  an  increase  of  temperature,  when  it  will  right 
itself.  In  the  latter  cases  some  special  treatment  is  necessary,  such  as 
sulphuring,  addition  of  tartaric  acid,  clarification,  pasteurizing,  etc. 

OPALESCENT,  IRIDESCENT  (Cangiante,  Opalescente,  Iridiscente,  It.;  Cha- 
toyant, Fr.). — When  the  light  in  passing  through  the  wine  is  decom- 
posed, that  is,  when  in  looking  through  the  wine  rays  of  different  colors 
are  seen.  This  iridescence  is  best  seen  at  the  surface  of  the  liquid  and 
near  where  it  is  in  contact  with  the  glass;  it  is  due,  not  to  reflection  or 
refraction,  but  to  the  phenomenon  of  interference. 

A  wine  exhibiting  this  peculiarity  is  open  to  grave  suspicion  of  un- 
soundness,  if  it  is  not  already  in  an  advanced  stage  of  disease. 

As  an  example  of  a  wine  in  this  condition,  may  be  cited  one  which 
is,  in  the  first  phases  of  the  disease,  known  as  "  subbollimento."*  If  a 
little  of  this  wine  is  left  exposed  to  the  air  it  first  becomes  turbid,  and 
loses  its  red  color;  then  a  precipitate  forms  and  leaves  a  yellowish,  sour, 
somewhat  bitter  liquid  on  top.  As  the  disease  progresses,  if  the  wine 
is  slightly  shaken,  mucous  clouds  will  be  seen  floating  in  it,  at  the  sur- 
faces of  which  the  above-mentioned  phenomenon  of  interference  may 
be  seen. 

In  the  time  of  Pliny,  to  describe  the  color  of  a  wine  they  had  only 
the  four  following  epithets:  album,  fulvum,  sanguineum,  nigrum. 

In  those  days  they  were  easily  satisfied;  now  we  use  the  following 
terms  to  describe  the  colors  of  red  and  white  wines: 

COLORLESS,  DECOLORIZED  (Incolore,  Scolorito,  Decolorato,  It.;  Incolore, 
Decolore,  Fr.). — When  the  wine  has  almost  the  appearance  of  pure  water; 
when  the  rays  of  light  pass  through  it  without  suffering  any  or  only 
imperceptible  changes. 

Colorless  wines  are  easily  obtained  from  perfectly  ripe  white  grapes, 
picked  and  handled  with  great  care,  and  crushed  when  quite  fresh  and 
quite  cool;  then  by  exercising  the  most  scrupulous  cleanliness  during 
the  vinification  and  keeping  of  the  wine,  and  by  fermenting  the  must 
after  it  has  been  well  defecated.  If  a  wine  is  made  which  is  not  per- 

In  this  case  we  must  be  careful  not  to  mix  the  limpid  part  of  the  wine  with  the  deposit, 
and  before  raising  the  bottle  up  the  wine  should  be  decanted,  which  in  its  result  is  an 
operation  exactly  similar  to  racking.  This  decantation  should  be  made  in  the  cellar, 
and  demands  some  precautions.  First  the  neck  of  the  bottle  is  carefully  raised,  but  not 
too  high;  it  is  then  uncorked,  care  being  taken  not  to  subject  it  to  any  brusque  motion 
either  in  raising  it  or  in  drawing  the  cork.  The  wine  is  then  poured  Into  another  per- 
fectly clean  bottle,  taking  care  to  stop  before  the  smallest  part  of  the  deposit  has  passed 
into  the  fresh  bottle  or  decanter.  The  quantity  of  wine  lost  by  this  method  is  very 
small,  and  the  wine  that  is  saved  can  be  drunk  to  the  last  drop.  If,  on  the  contrary,  a 
wine  which  has  only  a  very  slight  deposit  is  placed  on  the  table  without  decanting,  the 
second  or  third  glass  will  commence  to  show  a  loss  of  brightness  and  the  wine  will  have 
lost  its  agreeableness.  There  are  some  very  simple  machines  made,  which  work  on  the 
principle  of  the  siphon,  and  which  greatly  facilitate  the  operation  of  decantation." 

*"La  pousse"  of  the  French,  a  kind  of  tartaric  fermentation  which  is  fully  described 
on  a  subsequent  page. — Trans. 


WINE    AND    THE   ART    OF    WINE    TASTING.  31 

fectly  colorless,  it  may  be  rendered  so  by  the  use  of  animal  charcoal, 
properly  prepared,  that  is  to  say,  in  such  a  way  as  to  prevent  its  dimin- 
ishing the  acidity  of  the  wine.  If  this  precaution  is  not  taken,  the  wine, 
oh  account  of  its  diminished  acidity,  will  quickly  turn  yellowish  on 
account  of  the  formation  of  ferric  compounds,  which,  under  these  condi- 
tions, takes  place  with  great  readiness. 

STRAW-COLORED  (Paglierino,  It.;  Couleur  de  paille,  Fr.). — Of  the  color 
of  straw,  but  somewhat  pale. 

AMBER,  YELLOW  (Giallo,  It.;  Jaune,  Fr.). — Is  said  of  wines  which  have 
a  deeper  straw  color.* 

GOLDEN,  GOLDEN- YELLOW  (Giallo  dorato,  Aurato,  Dorato,  It.;  Dore, 
Fr.). — This  epithet  sufficiently  explains  itself. 

"  Egli  e  il  vero  oro  polabile"  wrote  Redi  of  the  wine  of  Trebbiano. 

GREENISH  (Verdognolo,  Verdiccio,  It.;  Verddtre,  Fr.). — When  a  wine 
has  a  slight  greenish  tint,  resembling  somewhat  the  green  of  grass. 
This  color  is  characteristic  of  certain  varieties  of  grapes;  for  example, 
the  Verdea  or  Bergo. 

Regarding  the  wine  of  this  variety,  it  is  said  that  the  Verdea  of  Tus- 
cany is  not  so  called  on  account  of  its  green  taste,  but  because  of  its 
greenish  tint. 

Frederick  the  Great,  of  Prussia,  had  a  great  predilection  for  the  wine 
of  Verdea. 

This  greenish  color  is  also  characteristic  of  the  wines  of  Reno,  and  in 
general  of  wines  made  from  somewhat  acid  grapes. 

PINKISH- YELLOW,  OR  PINKISH  STRAW-COLOR  ( Paglierino  rossastro,  Giallo 
rossastro,  It.;  Faille  roussdtre,  Fr.). —  Sometimes  a  wine,  in  addition  to 

*This  yellow  color  may  be  natural  and  proper  to  the  wine,  or  it  may  be  a  color  which 
it  has  acquired  from  several  causes,  among  which  are  some  that  have  very  grievous 
effects  on  the  wine,  and  may  be  considered  properly  as  maladies. 

The  wines  most  generally  subject  to  this  disease  of  becoming  yellow  are  those  poor 
in  alcohol,  tartar,  tartaric  acid,  and  tannin,  and  which  on  the  other  hand  are  rich  in 
malic  acid. 

I  have  already  alluded  to  one  of  these  causes  above,  namely,  the  presence  of  iron 
compounds.  Some  colorless  wines,  which  are  rather  poor  in  acid,  become,  when  placed 
in  contact  with  the  air,  yellow  or  yellowish  brown,  in  consequence  of  the  formation  of 
complex  compounds,  ferric,  humic,  etc. 

The  commonest  causes  of  the  yelkwing  of  wines  can  be  traced  to  the  conditions  under 
which  the  vintage  has  taken  place;  if,  for  instance,  the  season  has  been  cold  and  rainy, 
and  the  grapes  have  been  gathered  after  the  vines  have  in  great  part  been  denuded  of 
their  foliage,  if  the  bunches  contain  decayed,  soft,  insipid  grapes  poor  in  acid  and  sugar, 
a  wine  of  poor  keeping  qualities  is  obtained,  and  one  very  likely  to  become  yellow, 
unless  art  comes  to  the  aid  of  nature. 

Robinet,  who  has  made  special  investigations  with  regard  to  the  causes  of  this  dete- 
rioration of  white  wines,  distinguishes  between  that  due  to  a  fermentation  caused  by  a 
mycoderm,  and  those  due  to  chemical  action,  and  among  the  latter  he  mentions  some 
which  give  rise  to  the  formation  of  malic  ether,  which  reacts  on  the  sugar.  I  should, 
however,  remark  here  that  after  stating  his  belief  in  the  formation  of  the  malic  ether, 
he  declares  that  he  has  been  unable  to  find  the  rational  equation  of  the  reaction,  or 
definite  proof  of  its  existence,  but  bases  his  belief  in  the  formation  of  the  malic  ether 
on  the  taste  and  pronounced  odor  of  cider  which  the  wine  acquires — an  odor  which  is 
characteristic  of  the  above  substance. 

Robinet  also  makes  the  important  observation  that  during  his  researches  he  had 
noticed  the  disappearance  of  the  glycerine  from  wines  which  were  becoming  yellow. 
This  disappearance  of  the  glycerine  would  lead  one  to  believe  that  the  reactions  which 
take  place  are  much  more  complicated  than  supposed  by  Robinet,  especially  in  consid- 
eration of  the  fact  that  the  glycerine  is  subject  to  transformations,  like  the  other 
ingredients  of  wine. 

Instead  of  trying  to  cure  or  ameliorate  this  defect  in  wines,  it  should  be  prevented, 
which  can  be  done  by  the  addition  of  alcohol  and  acids. 

The  secondary  fermentation  which  causes  this  disease  is  due?  still  according  to  Rob- 
inet, to  a  particular  mycoderm,  which  can  be  seen  distinctly  with  a  magnifying  power 
of  nine  hundred  diameters.  This  mycoderm  is  extremely  small,  and  of  an  oolong 
shape;  it  is  ^ff  m.m.  in  length,  and  ^^  m.m.  in  width. 


32  WINE    AND   THE    ART    OF    WINE    TASTING. 

its  yellow  or  straw  color,  will  have  a  pinkish  tint  of  more  or  less  intensity. 
This  may  be  considered  as  due  to  imperfect  cleanliness  of  the  vessels 
used  in  wine  making,  or  of  the  barrels  in  which  the  wine  has  been  put. 

ROSE-COLORED,  SniLLER  (Rosato, 'It.;  Rose,  Fr.). — White  wines  made 
from  red  grapes  frequently  possess  this  color  in  greater  or  less  degree; 
especially  is  this  the  case  when  the  grapes  have  not  been  picked  and 
handled  with  great  care,  or  when  the  grapes  have  become  the  least  heated. 

A  white  wine  may  also  acquire  this  color  by  contact  with  barrels  or 
utensils  which  have  been  used  for  red  wine  and  not  been  thoroughly 
cleansed  afterwards. 

This  color  is  sometimes  produced  artificially.  In  France  they  use 
extensively  teinte  de  Fismes,  so  called  after  the  town  in  which  it  is  manu- 
factured. It  is  claimed  that  it  is  free  from  alum  and  sulphuric  acid,* 
but  wrongly. 

White  wines  which  have  commenced  to  spoil,  or  in  which  viscous  fer- 
mentation has  started,  and  which  begin  to  become  brownish,  or  even 
bluish,  and  at  the  same  time  turbid,  what  the  French  call  vin  oeil  de 
perdrix,  are  rendered  salable  by  the  use  of  this  teinte  de  Fismes,  and  are 
sold  by  the  French  under  the  name  of  vins  roses. 

Jacquesson,  pere,  states  that  this  coloring  fluid  not  only  colors  and 
clarifies  the  wine,  but  also  arrests  the  progress  of  the  disease,  or  pre- 
vents it  if  it  is  to  be  feared.  This  fluid  is  also  used  in  France  for  color- 
ing sparkling  wines. 

BLUISH-BROWN,  BROWN- YELLOW  (Bruno-bleuastro,  Giallo-bruno,  It.; 
Brun-bleudtre,  Fr.). — This  color,  which  the  French  call  oeil  de  perdrix 
(partridge-eye),  is  a  dull,  dark  yellow,  proper  to  some  old,  southern 
wines,  but  due  in  the  majority  of  cases  in  which  it  is  found  to  some 
malady  of  the  wine,  f 

This  phenomenon  is  observed  not  only  in  old  but  also  in  young  wines, 
both  red  and  white.  Very  probably  its  origin  lies  in  several  causes,  as 
the  numerous  explications  given  by  different  authors  would  lead  us  to 
believe.  Nessler  has  studied  the  change  of  color  as  it  takes  place  in 
white  wines.  He  tells  us  that  the  substances  that  cause  the  coloration, 
more  or  less  deep,  of  the  wine  are  contained  in  the  stems  and  the  seeds. 
Thus,  wines  which  have  been  fermented  in  contact  with  the  solid  part 
of  the  grapes  blacken  very  easily  when  exposed  to  the  air.  The  pres- 
ence of  bad  grapes  in  the  fermentation  also  tends  to  render  a  wine  liable 
to  this  discoloration. 

This  change  of  white  wine  depends  directly  on  the  action  of  the  air; 

*  The  vin,  or  teinte  de  Fismes,  was  first  prepared  by  Manceau  by  boiling  elderberries  and 
cream  of  tartar  together. 

t  It  sometimes  happens,  writes  Robinet,  that  a  perfectly  bright  white  wine  which  has 
never  been  racked  or  otherwise  treated  before,  is  racked  from  its  lees  and  treated  with 
tannin  and  some  clarifying  material;  then  instead  of  becoming  bright  and  clear  the 
operations  to  which  it  has  been  treated  have  had  diametrically  the  opposite  effect.  The 
wine  has  not  taken  the  clarification,  as  the  cellarmen  say,  has  a  bluish  tint,  and  is 
turbid. 

This  change  or  malady  of  the  "blue  color"  happens  most  generally  in  wines  of  low 
acid  and  alcoholic  contents,  and  which  are  at  the  same  time  rich  in  nitrogenous  sub- 
stances. According  to  Robinet  this  malady  is  due  to  a  secondary  fermentation,  caused 
by  a  mycoderm  which  is  analogous  to  the  mycoderma  crocceum,  and  has  a  very  ephem- 
eral existence. 

To  cure  this  disease  in  a  wine  it  generally  suffices  to  raise  the  alcoholic  strength,  or 
sometimes  an  addition  of  six  or  eight  grains  of  tannin  per  hectolitre  is  necessary.  In 
the  latter  case  the  wine  is  allowed  to  settle  for  twenty-four  hours  after  the  addition  of 
tannin,  and  then  clarified  with  isinglass. 

The  above  mycoderm  is  killed  and  precipitated  by  cold. 


WINE  AND  THE  ART  OF  WINE  TASTING.  33 

the  wine  loses  its  limpidity,  becomes  cloudy,  and  a  black  precipitate  is 
formed;  meanwhile  the  taste  of  the  wine  often  changes.  The  black 
substance  may  be  decolorized  by  sulphurous  acid;  the  use  of  this  sub- 
stance arrests  or  retards  the  blackenfhg  of  the  wine. 

Wines  made  from  grapes  poor  in  tartaric,  malic  acid,  etc.,  like  those 
which  have  been  gathered  when  wet  with  dew  or  rain,  or  those  which 
have  been  injured  by  cryptogams,  are  liable,  when  exposed  to  the  air,  to 
become  cloudy  and  dark  in  color. 

The  presence  of  an  excess  of  iron  in  the  white  wines  of  certain  locali- 
ties of  the  southern  provinces  is  the  reason  why,  when  they  are  at  all 
exposed  to  the  air,  their  color  changes  to  a  blackish  green. 

Not  southern  wines  alone,  but  also  those  from  northern  provinces, 
when  they  do  not  contain  a  sufficient  quantity  of  acid,  and  more  espe- 
cially of  tartaric  acid,  acquire  this  color.  Chemists  explain  this  phe- 
nomenon in  different  ways,  though  all  admit  that  it  is  due  to  the  presence 
of  some  of  the  compounds  of  iron.  Nessler  tells  us  that  wines  produced 
on  soils  rich  in  the  salts  of  iron,  and  even  wines  which  have  been  for 
any  length  of  time  in  contact  with  iron,  as  happens  when  there  is  an 
iron  rod  between  the  heads  of  the  cask,  or  when  there  are  nails  in  the 
cask,  etc.,  if  they  become  exposed  to  the  air,  turn  black,  for  then  the 
protoxide  or  ferrous  oxide  contained  in  the  wine  changes  in  contact  with 
the  air  to  sesquioxide  or  ferric  oxide.  A  black  compound  is  then  formed 
by  the  combination  of  the  ferric  oxide  with  the  tannin;  this  black  color 
is  not  obtained  with  the  protoxide.  Other  chemists  explain  the  phenom- 
enon by  supposing  that  there  occur  or  are  formed  in  the  wine  certain 
humic  products  analogous  to  those  which  are  formed  by  the  decomposi- 
tion of  vegetable  substances.  These  substances  are  feebly  acid,  and  have 
a  considerable  dissolving  power  on  the  iron.  Thus  there  are  formed  in 
the  wine  certain  of  the  lower  compounds  of  iron,  which,  on  exposure  to 
the  air,  change  to  the  higher  compounds,  and  give  the  wine  the  black- 
ish tint  before  spoken  of.  The  wine  then  becomes  turbid,  and  the  flavor 
undergoes  certain  peculiar  changes. 

Formerly  some  sparkling  wines  were  made  of  this  color,  but  now  it  is 
no  longer  found  but  as  a  defect. 

DIRTY  (Sporco,  It.;  Terne,  Fr.). — A  diseased,  badly  made,  or  badly 
kept  wine  sometimes  becomes  turbid,  and  its  natural  color  is  masked 
by  other  colors,  giving  the  impression  of  something  soiled  or  dirty. 

Among  red  wines  the  following  are  the  colors  most  generally  recognized; 
they  may  be  of  more  or  less  intensity: 

VERY  LIGHT  RED  (Claretto,  Chiarello,  Chiaretto,  It.;  Clairet,  Fr.). — 
These  terms  are  used  to  describe  a  class  of  wines  which  contain  the 
least  color  of  any  red  wines;  the  cause  of  this  poverty  of  color  may  be 
in  the  nature  of  the  grape,  the  mode  of  preparation,  or  it  may  be  that 
the  wine  has  been  diluted  with  water. 

These  wines  form  the  connecting  link  between  white  and  red  wines. 

Trinci,  writing  of  these  wines,  says:  "The  French  'claretto'  is  a 
smooth,  vinous,  lightly  colored  wine,  with  little  aroma;  slow  and  long 
in  maturing,  and  not  pleasing  when  drunk  alone;  blended,  however,  in 
proper  proportion,  it  is  extremely  good." 

The  "claretto"  drunk  by  Redi,  however,  must  have  been  very  differ- 
ent from  this,  or  he  would  not  have  written : 

"  Benedetto 
Ouel  claretto 
Che  si  spilla  in  Avignone." 


34  WINE   AND   THE   ART    OF   WINE    TASTING. 

RUBY  (Rubino,  It.;  Rubis,  Fr.). — Wines  which  have  a  fine,  vinous  red, 
which  recalls  the  color  of  the  ruby. 

This  color  is  that  found  most  commonly  in  table  wines;  for  instance, 
the  wine  of  Chianti;  it  is  also  thetolor  of  the  wines  of  Bordeaux. 

Some  writers  speak  of  vermilion  wines,  but  a  wine  is  never  really  of 
that  tint;  wines  rich  in  acid  and  of  bright,  intense  ruby,  will  appear 
for  the  moment  to  be  vermilion  immediately  after  being  racked,  on  ac- 
count of  the  presence  of  a  slight  cloudiness. 

PURPLE  (Porporino,  It.;  Pourpre,  Fr.). — The  case  where  the  natural 
red  of  wine  tends  slightly  to  violet. 

This  color  is  seen  in  Montepulciano  when  it  has  reached  perfection. 

GARNET,  RED  (Granato,  Rosso  cupo,  It.;  Rouge  sombre,  Fr.). — Said  of 
wines  which  have  a  more  "or  less  intense  blood-red,  recalling  the  color 
of  garnets  and  similar  precious  stones,  and  of  some  varieties  of  goose- 
berries, etc. 

This  garnet  tint  is  seen  in  heavy-bodied  dinner  wines,  such  as  Barbera, 
Gattinara,  Borgogna,  and  in  wines  made  from  grapes  grown  on  clayey 
and  ferruginous  soils.  These  wines  in  aging  are  apt  to  acquire  more 
or  less  of  the  orange  tint. 

BLACK  (Nero,  It.;  Noir,  Fr.). — This  color,  the  nigrum  of  the  Romans, 
is  really  never  found  in  wine;  the  darkest  wines,  made  from  the  Tein- 
turiers,  are  not  quite  black,  nor  is  even  the  concentrated  solution  of 
cenocyanin  obtained  by  the  Carpene-Comboni  process. 

VIOLET,  BLUISH  (Violaceo,  Turchiniccio,  Bleauastro,  It.;  Bleaudtre, 
Violace,  Fr.). — This  color  is  seen  in  a  more  or  less  marked  degree  in 
blending  and  other  wines  poor  in  acid.  This  tint  is  due  to  the  violet 
coloring  matter  which  is  contained  in  certain  dark  wines  of  southern 
Italy.  It  is  very  unstable,  and  precipitates  with  great  readiness.  It  is 
also  found  in  the  wines  from  certain  American  coloring  grapes,  such  as 
the  Jacquez,  the  Marion,  and  York's  Madeira,  when  they  have  been 
made  without  addition  of  plaster  or  tartaric  acid. 

ORANGE,  YELLOWISH-RED,  RUSTY  (Aranciato,  Giallo  aranciato,  Color 
matone,  Rossico,  It.;  Orange,  Pelure  d'oignon,  Fr.). — These  are  the  colors 
or  tints  of  old  or  decrepit  wines.  By  decrepit  wines  should  be  under- 
stood wines  which  have  passed  their  prime  and  have  begun  to  lose  their 
valuable  qualities. 

These  tints  are  seen  sometimes  in  young  wines,  but  less  marked  than 
in  old;  especially  in  those  which,  at  first,  have  much  of  the  bluish  tint, 
and  which  deposit  their  color  quickly. 

Old  wines  often  lose  all,  or  nearly  all,  of  their  color,  and  become  what 
is  called  "  scolorito,"  decolorized  or  faded. 

DARK  COLORED  (Colorato,  It.;  Colore,  Fr.). — Said  of  wines  that  have 
relatively  a  great  deal  of  color. 

Wines  may  be  divided  according  to  intensity  of  color  into  deep-col- 
ored, medium-colored,  and  light-colored  wines. 

Deep-colored  wines  are  harsh  and  indigestible. 

I  will  now  pass  in  review  the  qualities  and  defects  of  which  the  senses 
of  taste  and  smell  take  cognizance. 

AROMA  (Aroma,  It.;  Arome,  Fr.). — By  aroma  must  not  be  understood 
simply  those  odors  which  are  delicate  and  agreeable,  as  when  speaking 
of  bouquet;  for  example,  the  foxy  odor  or  aroma  of  certain  American 


WINE   AND    THE    ART    OF    WINE    TASTING.  35 

grapes,  varieties  of  the  species  Vitis  labrusca,  and  of  the  wine  made 
from  them,  is  far  from  agreeable. 

The  aroma  is  the  odor  which  comes  from  the  skins  of  aromatic  grapes,* 
and  varies  in  quantity  and  quality  ^according  to  the  variety  of  grape 
and  the  degree  of  its  maturity.  It  passes  into  the  wine  in  wine  making; 
the  aroma  therefore  exists  in  the  grapes  as  well  as  in  the  wine. 

BOUQUET!  (Profumo,  It.;  Bouquet,  Fr.). — Every  fine  wine  exhales  an 
odor  peculiar  to  itself,  which  is  always  delicate  and  pleasing.  Exception 
may  be  made  of  artificial  bouquets,  which,  if  not  absolutely  disagreeable 
in  themselves,  are  always  too  strong  and  intense  in  a  wine. 

The  bouquet  is  due  to  the  volatilization  at  ordinary  temperature  of 
certain  substances  known  as  ethers,  which  are  formed  by  the  reactions 
of  the  acids  and  alcohols  in  the  wine  during  its  process  of  aging.J 

Thus,  the  bouquet  is  not  to  be  found  ready  formed  in  the  grape,  as  is 
the  case  of  the  aroma. 

SEVE  (Abboccato,  It.;  Seve,  Fr.;  Gohr,  Ger.). — The  "seve"  is  neither 
bouquet  nor  aroma;  it  is  a  certain  savor,  a  certain  fragrant  quality  of 
the  wine  due  to  a  smooth  and  delicate  blending  of  perfections,  of  aromas 
and  bouquets,  which  is  perceived  when  the  wine  is  in  the  mouth  and  in 
the  act  of  swallowing,  affecting  the  olfactory  organs  through  the  internal 
nasal  ducts.  The  bouquet  and  aroma  affect  the  senses  before,  the  seve 
after  drinking  the  wine. 

Carpene,  writing  of  Moscato  de  Segesta,  says:  "Of  the  most  delicate 
fragrance  and  exquisite  flavor.  It  is  a  dainty,  fruity  wine,  which  fills 
the  mouth  with  an  harmonious  ensemble  of  delicious  flavors,  which 
cannot  be  described,  but  can  only  be  experienced." 

Seve,  which  is  especially  the  property  of  fine  wines,  is  due  to  the 
presence  of  certain  substances  which  are  formed  in  the  grapes  during 

*The  ancients  held  aromatic  wines  in  high  estimation.  They  added  to  the  must,  dur- 
ing fermentation,  different  varieties  of  apples,  then  cane,  amomum,  cassia,  saffron,  ginger, 
and  other  species  of  aromas,  to  communicate  the  odor  that  they  desired. 

The  aroma  most  highly  appreciated  was  that  obtained  by  the  addition  of  myrrh.  We 
read,  in  fact,  in  Pliny:  Lautissima  apud  priscos  vina  erant  myrrhse  odore  condita,  ut  adparet 
Plauti  fabula,  quae  Persa  iscribitur,  quamquam  in  ea  et  calamos  addijubet. 

Peppered  wine,  which  was  prepared  by  fermenting  the  must  witn  apples  and  pepper, 
was  very  much  appreciated  in  the  time  of  Pliny. 

t  Even  the  bouquet  of  wines  has  not  escaped  imitation  and  adulteration.  The  man- 
ufacture of  artificial  bouquets  or  perfumes  for  wines  has  become  a  regular  industry  i"n 
France  and  Germany,  where  it  is  carried  on  on  a  large  scale.  There  is  a  large  consump- 
tion of  such  articles  as  "bouquet"  of  Pomard,  or  of  Bourgogne,  extract  of  Bourdeaux, 
the  "Rancio  des  vins,"  "seve"  of  Baume",  of  Me"doc,  of  St.  Julien,  of  Champagne,  of 
Sillery,  etc. 

The  substances  most  usually  employed  to  add  an  artificial  bouquet  to  dinner  wines, 
are:  Florentine  iris,  raspberries,  cloves,  vine  flowers,  mignonette,  nutmegs,  bitter 
almonds,  etc.  To  these  should  be  added  certain  chemical  products  which  are  prepared 
more  especially  in  Germany.  All  these  attempts  to  imitate  nature  have  been  out  very 
partially  successful. 

A  wine  may  be  perfumed  artificially,  but  it  is  impossible  to  give  it  "seve."  This 
artificial  perfume  is  always  too  pronounced,  and  is  never  as  delicate  as  the  natural 
bouquet  of  wine.  These  artificial  bouquets  impress  the  sense  of  smell,  but  not  that  of 
taste.  If  a  perfumed  wine,  then,  is  tasted  without  being  smelled,  its  natural  "  seve  "  can 
be  distinguished.  Artificial  aromas  are  not  lasting,  and  gradually  disappear  from  the 
wine. 

J  Chemically,  the  difference  between  aroma  and  bouquet  is,  according  to  Maumene" 
and  Berthelot,  the  following: 

The  former  is  due  to  certain  hydro-carbons  and  to  the  products  of  their  oxidation; 
perhaps,  also,  as  Ordonneau  states,  to  the  ether  of  a  high,  fatty  acid  produced  by  inter- 
cellular alcoholic  fermentation,  and  which,  being  fixed,  remains  in  the  pellicle;  this  has 
enabled  the  experimenter  to  obtain  it  from  the  pomace  of  Folle  Blanche. 

The  latter  seems  to  be  due  to  a  mixture  of  aldehydes  with  one  or  more  essential  oils 
and  of  numerous  ethers,  the  product  of  the  combination  of  fatty  and  other  polyatomic 
acids  with  ethylic  and  other  alcohols;  there  are,  for  instance,  valerian,  amylic,  propyl- 
acetic,  etc. 


36 


WINE    AND    THE    ART    OF    WINE    TASTING. 


the  short  time  preceding  their  complete  maturity;  these  substances  are 
peculiar  to  certain  varieties  of  grapes,  and  owe  their  existence  also  to 
careful  cultivation,  as  well  as  to  certain  conditions  of  climate  and  soil.* 

In  analyzing  wine,  writes  Faure*,  I  have  observed  that  fine  and  deli- 
cate wines,  those  renowned  for  their  flavor  and  general  high  quality, 
contain  a  certain  glutinous,  viscid  substance,  which  exists  only  in 
almost  inappreciable  quantities  in  ordinary  wines,  and  is  quite  absent 
from  inferior  ones. 

This  principle,  to  which  wine  owes  its  seve,  has  been  called  by  Faure 
oenanthin,f  or  flower  of  wine,  and  is  only  found  in  grapes  which  are 
completely  mature.  Some  vineyards,  which  usually  produce  grapes 
containing  this  substance,  fail  to  do  so  in  stormy  seasons.  The  only 
vines  containing  it  in  such  years  are  those  produced  on  dry  sandy  or 
gravelly  soils.  The  same  variety  of  vines,  which,  when  grown  on  an 
appropriate  soil,  gives  a  wine  full  of  seve,  will,  when  grown  on  a  rich, 
heavy,  or  clayey  one,  produce  a  wine  containing  little  or  no  cenanthin. 

Thus  it  can  be  seen  that  the  preeminence  of  high-class  wines  is  not 
due  to  the  caprice  of  the  taster,  but  to  actual  differences  of  composition, 
and  to  the  presence  of  principles  not  found  in  inferior  wines. 

The  ordinary  wines  of  the  three  communes  of  the  Gironde,  where  the 
four  high-class  Bordeaux  wines  are  produced,  are,  in  general,  poor  in 
cenanthin.  These  four  wines,  however,  contain  a  larger  quantity  of  the 
substance,  as  may  be  seen  by  the  following: 

(Enanthin  contained  in  vines  of — 


High  Class. 

Ordinary. 

Chateaux  Margaux  

.  1.25 

Margaux  

0.70 

Chateau  Lafite              _     _ 

...  1.20 

Pauulac 

0.75 

Chateau  Latour                   _  _  _  _ 

1.10 

Pessac_ 

0.50 

Haut-Brion 

.65 

FLAVOR  (Sapore,  It.;  Saveur,  Fr.). — In  this  character  we  have  the 
effect  of  the  wine  on  the  sense  of  taste,  and  more  particularly  on  the 
tongue,  which  best  distinguishes  between  various  tastes.  The  flavor  is 
distinct  from  either  aroma,  bouquet,  or  "seve";  unlike  the  last,  it  does 
not  affect  the  sense  of  smell.  As  has  been  shown,  the  seve  is  per- 
ceived after  the  wine  has  passed  the  base  of  the  tongue,  the  soft  palate; 
the  taste,  on  the  contrary,  or  better,  the  flavors,  are  perceived  almost  im- 
mediately, and  continue  to  affect  the  tongue  and  its  sides,  or  posterior 

*The  result  of  many  observations  and  studies  regarding  the  influence  of  soil  composi- 
tion or  the  character  of  wine,  may  be  summed  up  as  follows:  High  alcoholic  strength  is 
characteristic  of  wines  grown  on  calcareous  soils;  color  depends  on  the  iron  in  the  soil; 
smoothness  on  the  alumina  and  on  the  variety  of  grape;  bouquet  on  the  silica. 

Chambertin,  writes  Julian,  is  a  wine  which  has  a  good  color,  much  seve,  is  very  delicate 
and  smooth,  faultless  in  taste,  and  possessing  the  most  agreeable  bouquet. 

The  vineyard  which  produces  this  wine  has  the  following  soil  composition: 

Alkaline  salts 0.031 

Carbonate  of  calcium  and  magnesium . 4.425 

Ferric  oxide 2.961 

Phosphoric  acid 0.235 

Alumina —       2.063 

Silica  (soluble) 0.110 

Organic  matter 1.973 

Insoluble  residue  (silica) 89.302 

tBy  oenanthin  should  not  be  understood2  as  perhaps  was  done  by  Faure",  a  single 
chemical  compound,  but  rather  a  complex  mixture  of  ethers. 


WINE  AND  THE  ART  OF  WINE  TASTING.  37 

portion,  with  a  series  of  sensations  which  are  agreeable  or  disagreeable, 
according  to  the  nature  of  the  flavors  and  their  degree  of  intensity.* 

NEUTRAL  FLAVOR  (Sapore  neutro,  It.;  Saveur  neutre,  Fr.). — A  wine  is 
said  to  be  neutral  when  it  has  no  marked  aroma  or  taste,  f 

Wines  of  neutral  taste  are  the  best  base  for  the  making  of  imitative 
wines,  as  they  acquire  most  easily  the  taste  of  the  wines  with  which  they 
are  blended. 

VAPID,  FLAT,  INSIPID  (Tnsipido,  It.;  Plat,  Fr.). — A  wine  is  vapid  when 
it  is  lacking  in  alcohol  and  vinosity,  or  when,  without  having  any  defect 

*  With  regard  to  tastes  in  general,  writers  are  at  variance.  The  greater  or  less  num- 
ber of  tastes  and  the  possibility  of  their  classification  have  been  discussed. 

The  number  of  tastes  may  be  considered  as  infinite,  and  therefore  a  classification 
almost  impossible.  Such  classification,  however,  has  been  attempted.  Haller  distin- 
guishes twelve  tastes,  which  have  been  reduced  by  Linnaeus  to  ten:  sweet,  acrid,  fatty, 
astringent,  bitter,  viscous,  saltish,  watery,  and  insipid. 

Vintschgau  proposes  another  taste — metallic. 

Physiologists  distinguish  in  the  sense  of  taste  four  specific  energies,  that  is,  four  ele- 
mentary sensations,  viz.:  sweet,  bitter,  acid,  and  salt.  The  first  two  affect  only  the 
nerves  of  taste;  the  acid  taste,  on  the  other  hand,  if  too  strong,  may  cause  pain,  for 
which  reason  Vintschgau  believed  that  acid  and  salt  tastes  affect  also  the  sense  of  feel- 
ing, as  is  seen  in  touching  concentrated  solutions  of  acids. 

Nothing  is  known  with  certainty  as  to  the  way  in  which  different  tastes  are  distin- 
guished, and  we  must  be  content  with  supposing  that  each  flavor — sweet,  sour,  bitter, 
salt— acts  upon  special  nerves  which  serve  to  distinguish  them.  This  is  the  more  proba- 
ble, as  different  parts  of  the  tongue  are  unequally  affected  by  different  tastes.  We  are 
still  more  in  the  dark  regarding  the  intimate  nature  of  the  tastes,  the  chemical  compo- 
sition of  the  substances  which  they  characterize  seeming  to  have  no  connection  with 
them. 

The  chemical  composition  of  a  substance  has  nothing  to  do  with  its  sweet,  bitter,  or 
salt  taste;  with  regard  to  the  acid  taste,  however,  it  may  be  said  that  every  substance 
which  tastes  acid  is  also  an  acid  from  the  chemical  point  of  view. 

t  The  vineyardist  in  making  a  choice  of  varieties  to  plant  should  keep  in  view  the 
flavor  which  they  will  give  to  his  wine.  If  he  is  planting  in  a  new  locality,  where  it  can- 
not be  known  what  kind  of  grape  will  there  best  develop  its  flavor,  he  should  choose  a 
variety  which  gives  a  wine  ot  neutral  taste. 

The  French,  who  are  masters  of  the  art  of  imitating  wines,  have  this  maxim:  "There 
are  more  buyers  than  there  are  connoisseurs." 

Trusting  to  the  truth  of  this  saying,  they  have  been  able  to  establish  that  great  com- 
merce of  wine  which  has  become  one  of  the  principal  sources  of  riches  to  France.  The 
cities  of  Cette,  Bordeaux,  Marseilles,  Lunel,  Montpellier,  and  others  of  the  south  of 
France  are  centers  of  the  production  of  large  quantities  of  "wines  of  imitation." 

Do  you  wish  to  make,  for  example,  a  hectolitre  of  fine  Bordeaux  ? 

Take- 
Red  wine  of  the  south  (Roussillon  or  Narbonne)  __ .. 60  litres. 

White  wine  of  good  quality 25  litres. 

Old  wine  of  Alicante 12  litres. 

Old  wine  of  Malaga 3  litres. 

" Conservatore  enantico" 25  grammes. 

The  renanthic  conservative  is  dissolved  in  about  a  litre  of  warm  white  wine;  the  whole 
is  then  well  mixed  and  allowed  to  stand  for  two  weeks.  During  this  time  a  slow,  insensi- 
ble fermentation  goes  on,  which  completely  mixes  or  blends  the  ingredients. 

The  wine  is  then  drawn  into  sulphured  casks,  clarified,  racked  again,  and  the  Bordeaux 
is  made. 

This,  however,  is  too  expensive  a  Bordeaux;  here  is  a  cheaper  one: 

Red  common  Spanish  wine  70  litres. 

Wine  of  Narbonne 1 25  litres. 

Wine  of  Malaga 5  litres. 

Bordeaux  extract A  quarter"  of  a  bottle. 

(Enanthic  conservative 30  grammes. 

This  is  treated  in  the  same  way  as  the  first. 

If  a  still  cheaper  Bordeaux  is  desired — 

Ordinary  red  wine 81  litres. 

Roussillon  and  Narbonne 15  litres. 

Old  brandy 1 • 4  litres. 

Bordeaux  extract A  quarter  of  a  bottle. 

(Enanthic  conservative 30  grammes. 

The  above  information  is  for  the  edification  of  those  who  prefer  a  bottle  of  this  Bor- 
deaux to  a  bottle  of  Chianti,  of  Valpolicella,  of  Valtellina,  and  of  many  other  Italian 
wines  which  are  far  superior  to  these  French  concoctions. 


38  WINE    AND    THE    ART    OF    WINE    TASTING. 

due  to  secondary  fermentations,  it  lacks  some  of  those  qualities  which 
together  render  a  wine  agreeable. 

An  insipid  wine  may  have  plenty  of  color,  however.  Insipid  wines 
are  very  subject  to  unfavorable  changes. 

SAPID  (Sapido,  It.;  Sapide,  Fr.). — A  wine  is  described  as  sapid;  it  is 
meant  that  the  acids  are  agreeable  in  quality  and  proportionate  in 
quantity. 

VINOUS,  VINOSITY*  (Vinoso,  Vinosita,  It.;  Vineux,  Vinosite,  Fr.). — A 
wine  is  said  to  possess  vinosity  when  it  imparts  in  a  certain  degree  that 
sensation  of  warmth  characteristic  of  the  alcoholic  flavor. 

WEAK  (Debole,  Vino  che  scappa  in  bocca,  It.;  Faible,  pen  alcoolique,  Fr.). 
A  wine  is  said  to  be  weak  when  it  is  of  low  alcoholic  strength,  or 
when  its  alcoholic  contents  are  not  in  proportion  to  its  other  constitu- 
ents. Wines  of  this  character  have  in  general  little  flavor,  are  insipid, 
and  difficult  to  keep,  on  account  of  the  gummy  or  mucilaginous  sub- 
stances which  they  contain,  and  to  which  they  owe  what  little  flavor 
they  have. 

LIGHT  (Leggero,  Sottile,  It.;  Leg er,  Mince,  Fr.). — A  light  wine  is  one 
which  is  of  good  quality,  but  at  the  same  time  contains  a  relatively 
small  amount  of  color,  body,  and  alcohol,  no  prominent  flavors,  and  no 
sweetness.  The  general  effect  of  a  light  wine  is  one  of  delicacy,  though 
there  exists  a  just  equilibrium  between  the  various  constituents. 

SOFT,  MILD  (Molle,  It.;  Mou,  Fr.). — A  mild  wine  is  one  which  does  not 
affect  the  palate  by  its  harshness  or  astringency,  as  do  rougher  wines. 
Softness  characterizes  wines  which  are  neither  sweet  nor  dry,  and  not 
too  alcoholic. 

ALCOHOLIC  (Alcoolico,  It.;  Alcoolique,  Fr.). — When  a  wine  is  spoken 
of  as' alcoholic,  it  is  generally  meant  to  be  one.  containing  a  relatively 
high  per  cent  of  alcohol,  but  of  an  unsatisfactory  and  unsatisfying 
quality. 

GENEROUS  (Generoso,  It.;  Genereux,  Fr.). — A  generous  wine  is  one  with 
plenty  of  alcohol,  but  of  a  smooth,  warming,  strengthening  character; 
one  of  which  a  small  glass  produces  a  feeling  of  well-being  and  sensible 
tonic  effects. 

WARM,  HOT  (Caldo,  It.;  Chaud,  Fr.). — A  hot  wine  is  one  containing 
a  good  deal  of  alcohol,  which  produces  a  somewhat  burning  sensation 
in  the  mouth  and  stomach. 

SHARP,  LIVELY  ( Vivo,  It.;  Vif,  Fr.). — This  is  said  of  a  wine  which, 
without  being  pronouncedly  acid  or  alcoholic,  affects  the  palate  vividly. 
It  is  a  quality  compatible  with  lightness,  but  not  with  smoothness. 

FULLNESS,  ROUNDNESS  (Stoffa,  It.;  Etoffe,  Fr.). — Expressive  of  a  robust 
homogeneity,  which  gives  the  impression  of  solidity  and  good  consti- 
tution. 

BODY  (Corpo,  It.;  Corps,  Fr.). — A  wine  is  heavy  bodied  when  it  is 
rich  in  extractive  matter  and  has  high  vinosity. 

HEADY  (Fumosa,  It.;  Fumeux,  Fr.). — Wines  which  contain  much 
carbonic  acid,  and  thus  go  quickly  to  the  head,  produce  effects  that  are 
usually  confounded  with  those  of  drunkenness,  but  which,  in  reality, 
differ  very  much  from  them  physiologically.  Wines  of  this  character 
are  unwholesome. 

*Many  use  this  word  in  a  somewhat  different  sense;  hy  it  they  mean  "wine-like;'' 
that  is,  having  a  full  supply  of  the  quality  or  qualities  which  preeminently  distinguish 
wine  from  other  alcoholic  beverages. — Trans. 


WINE    AND    THE    ART    OF    WINE    TASTING.  39 

DENSE,  PULPY  (Carnoso,  Polputo,  Maccherone,  It.;  Charnu,  Pulpeux, 
Lourd,  Fr.). — Expressive  of  a  wine  that  has  what  one  might  almost 
call  a  pasty  consistency. 

HEAVY,  COARSE  (Grave,  Gravone,  Pesante,  Capitoso,It.',  Lourd,  Gros, 
Pesant,  Capiteux,  Fr.). — Wines  which  have  much  body  and  little  alco- 
hol, and  which,  even  when  drunk  in  small  quantities,  go  to  the  head 
and  weigh  on  the  stomach. 

CLEAN  (Franco,  It.;  Franc,  Fr.). — Said  of  a  wine  which  does  not 
leave  the  slightest  suspicion  of  any  taste  indicating  unsoundness,  or  of 
any  defect  due  to  the  bad  condition  of  the  grapes  from  which  it  was 
made,  or  to  neglect  or  improper  handling  of  the  wine. 

HARMONIOUS  (Armonico,  It.;  Harmonique,  Fr.). — Well  constituted. 
This  is  said  of  a  wine  when  its  constituents  are  in  exactly  the  proper 
proportions,  well  balanced  and  blended,  forming  a  perfect  whole,  which 
is  at  the  same  time  pleasing  and  satisfactory. 

WINE  THAT  ENDS  WELL  (  Vino  che  finisce  bene,  It.;  Vin  qui  finit  bien, 
Fr.). — This  is  an  expression  used  by  the  taster  to  define  an  impression 
that  remains  for  a  certain  time  after  drinking  a  fine  wine;  it  means  a 
wine  in  which  the  constituents  are  harmonious,  and  remain  so  even  after 
the  wine  has  passed  from  the  mouth,  impressing  the  senses  with  noth- 
ing but  pleasing  sensations  to  the  end.  These  sensations  continue  even 
after  the  wine  has  been  swallowed,  insomuch  that  one  might  almost  say 
that  it  wished  to  prolong  the  pleasure  of  the  drinker  by  a  fresh  visit  to 
the  organs  of  taste. 

WINE  THAT  ENDS  QUICKLY  (Vino  che  finisce  presto,  It.;  Vin  qui  finit 
vite,  Fr.). — Wine  that  leaves  but  an  ephemeral  sensation  in  the  mouth; 
that  is  to  say,  almost  as  soon  as  the  wine  is  swallowed  all  trace  of  it  is 
gone,  and  the  palate,  tongue,  and  stomach  seek  in  vain  to  recall  its 
character,  flavor,  bouquet — all  have  gone,  all  have  disappeared. 

WINE  THAT  ENDS  BADLY  ( Vino  che  finisce  male,  It.;  Vin  qui  finit  mal, 
Fr.). — A  wine  that  after  swallowing  leaves  a  disagreeable  taste,  bitter, 
woody,  etc.,  in  the  mouth. 

DELICATE  (Delicato,  It.;  Delicate,  Fr.). — A  wine  to  be  delicate  must  be 
perfectly  harmonious,  soft,  and  agreeable. 

FINE,  OR  HIGH  QUALITY  (Fino,  It.;  Fin,  Fr.). — A  wine  that  unites  a 
natural  delicacy  with  an  exceptionally  agreeable  flavor  and  delicious 
bouquet. 

MUTE  (Muto,  It.;  Muet,  Fr.). — Said  of  unfermented  or  only  partially 
fermented  wines;  they  are  characterized  by  a  sweetish  or  gummy  taste. 
They  are  wines  which  have  been  made  from  musts  treated  with  sulphur- 
ous anhydride  or  fortified  with  alcohol.  The  wines  that  are  generally 
made  "mute"  are  white  wines  that  are  to  be  used  to  sweeten  liquors  or 
to  increase  the  sugar  contents  of  new  wines,  or  that  are  to  be  used  for 
the  manufacture  of  syrups  by  concentration  in  vacuo. 

When  a  wine  is  made  mute  by  the  use  of  sulphurous  anhydride,  the 
risk  is  run,  if  too  much  is  used,  of  giving  the  wine,  first,  a  taste  of  sulph- 
hydric  acid,  and  afterward  more  or  less  pronounced  bad  flavors  due  to 
the  sulphates  that  are  formed. 

These  wines  are  kept  in  cool  cellars,  where  the  temperature  is  as 
nearly  as  possible  constant,  and  in  strong  and  well-hooped  casks.  They 
ought  to  be  clarified,  preferably  with  gelatine.  In  order  to  obtain  a 
perfect  clarification,  about  8  or  10  grammes  of  tannin  are  added  to  each 


40  WINE    AND    THE    ART    OF    WINE    TASTING. 

hectolitre  before  putting  in  the  finings  (one  tenth  per  m.,  or  about  1.25 
ounces  per  100  gallons). 

SMOOTH  ( Vellutato,  Morbido,  It.;  Veloute,  Moelleux,  Fr.). — A  smooth 
wine  fills  the  mouth  with  its  grateful  flavors  and  fagrance,  imparting  its 
delightful  series  of  sensations  without  the  slightest  harshness. 

This  quality  is  due  to  the  presence  of  a  certain  quantity  of  glycerine, 
and  not  to  glucose,  as  at  first  one  might  be  inclined  to  think.  In  this 
latter  case  the  wine  would  be  called  "amabile"  (fruity). 

It  is  glycerine  rather  than  glucose  which  gives  a  wine  that  kind  of 
smoothness  which  might  almost  be  called  unctuosity. 

In  very  high-class  wines  the  smoothness  or  unctuosity  is  due  not  only 
to  glycerine,  but  also  to  other  bodies  which  have  not  yet  been  well 
studied;  they  occur  more  especially  in  wines  of  very  favorable  years; 
that  is,  of  years  when  the  season  has  been  so  propitious  that  the  grapes 
have  been  able  to  attain  an  exceptionally  perfect  maturation. 

Many  chemists  have  attempted  to  determine  the  nature  of  these  sub- 
stances. 

II  Faure,  who  studied  the  wines  of  the  Gironde,  believes  that  this 
unctuosity  is  due  to  the  same  substance  as  seve,  a  substance  which  is  of 
similar  character  to  pectine  and  mucilage,  and  which  he  called  "cenan- 
thin." 

Batilliat  claims  to  have  found  in  the  high-class  wines  of  Bordeaux 
the  peculiar  substance  which  causes  their  unctuosity,  and  which  he  calls 
"  croatine." 

Mulder,  on  the  other  hand,  from  observations  made  on  the  wines  of 
the  Gironde,  considers  this  unctuous  substance  as  analogous  to  dextrine. 

Whatever  may  be  the  nature  of  this  substance,  it  is  useful  to  know 
that  the  wines  in  which  it  occurs,  if  not  well  kept,  are  liable  to  undergo 
an  almost  insensible  fermentation,  which  destroys  this  substance,  and  so 
takes  away  from  the  wine  that  quality  which  is  due  to  it;  pasteurizing  or 
heating  will  also  deprive  a  wine  of  this  quality. 

FRUITY  (Amabile,  It.;  Suave,  Fr.;  the  Latin,  Suavis  vel  subdulcis). — 
A  wine  which  is  very  faintly  sweet  on  account  of  retaining  a  small 
quantity  of  grape  sugar  or  glucose. 

As  is  said  sometimes:  "  Quel  vinetto  cosi  amabile  va  giu  senza  accor- 
gersene" 

Technically,  a  fruity  wine  cannot  be  said  to  possess  seve  because  it 
tends  towards  sweetness.  However,  a  wine  which  is  very  slightly  sweet 
may  possess  a  good  seve  in  the  sense  that  it  produces  those  sensations 
which  are  the  quality  of  wines  of  the  highest  class. 

SWEETISH  (Dolcigno,  It.;  Doucereux,  Fr.). — A  wine  is  said  to  be  sweetish 
when  its  sweetness  is  undecided,  unsatisfactory,  and  not  in  harmony 
with  the  other  components  of  the  wine;  it  is  due  usually  to  a  bad  fer- 
mentation and  incomplete  defecation,  or  it  may  be,  with  an  ordinary 
table  wine  rich  in  mucilaginous  substances,  that  it  is  becoming  sick  or 
undergoing  one  of  those  insensible  fermentations,  that  is,  the  tartaric 
fermentation,  to  which  such  wines  are  so  subject  in  the  spring.  In  the 
latter  case  there  is  a  moment  when  the  wine  can  be  detected  in  becom- 
ing slightly  sweetish,  and  if  prompt  measures  are  not  taken  it  will  in  a 
short  time  be  completely  spoiled.  This  turning  flat  and  sweetish  is  due 
to  the  mucilaginous  substances  which,  under  the  action  of  dilute  acids 
and  a  favorable  temperature,  become  transformed  into  substances  resem- 
bling dextrine  and  other  saccharine  matters,  which  give  place,  or  rather 


WINE    AND    THE    ART    OF   WINE    TASTING.  41 

favor,  when  the  alcoholic  fermentation  has  not  been  of  a  thorough  char- 
acter, the  development  of  secondary  fermentations. 

SWEET  (Dolce,  It.;  Doux,  Fr.). — A  sweet  wine  is  one  in  which  the 
sweetness  is  pleasant,  because  not  excessive,  and  in  harmony  with  the 
other  principal  ingredients,  and  more  particularly  with  the  alcoholic 
contents. 

"  II  vino  dolce  e  glorioso 
Rende  Vuomo  pingue  e  carnoso 
E  allargo  lo  stomaco." 

OVER  SWEET  (Dolciastro,  It.;  Doucedtre,  Fr.). — This  is  said  of  wines 
which  are  too  sweet,  or  in  which  the  sweetness  does  not  seem  to  be  well 
combined;  that  is,  the  sugar  seems  to  have  been  lately  dissolved  in  the 
wine. 

HONEY  SWEET,  SICKLY  SWEET  (Dolce  smaccato,  Melacchino,  It.;  Doux 
fade,  Mielleux,  Fr.). — Of  white  wines  when  they  are  very  sweet  and  of  a 
nauseating  sweetness,  resembling  must  more  than  wine. 

Melacchino  is  perhaps  a  corruption  of  melichino,  meaning  cider — vinum 
ex  malis,  pomatium  of  the  Latins. 

NEW  OR  YOUNG  WINE  ( Vino  yiovane,  nuovo,  It.;  Vin  jeune,  Fr.). — A 
wine  which  has  been  made  but  a  short  time,  and  which  has  not  under- 
gone those  changes  and  transformations  in  its  composition  through 
which  it  acquires  new  qualities,  due  to  the  new  substances  which  are 
formed,  and  which  render  it  more  agreeable  to  the  palate,  and  in  the 
case  of  fine  wines  impart  bouquet  and  even  seve. 

Another  cause  of  variation  in  the  character  of  wines  is  the  deposition 
in  whole  or  in  part  of  various  substances  on  the  walls  of  the  cask,  or  in 
the  form  of  lees  at  the  bottom,  that  are  thus  eliminated  from  the  compo- 
sition of  the  wine. 

These  young  wines,  compared  with  their  condition  at  maturity,  are 
more  heavy  bodied,  more  deeply  colored  (green  or  acid),  more  astringent^ 
and  sometimes  rough  and  harsh. 

These  wines  are,  finally,  more  nutritious  than  after  they  become 
mature;  it  must  not  be  forgotten,  however,  that  a  wine  which  is  too 
young  is  somewhat  indigestible. 

GREEN  (Verde,  Verdetto,  Bruschetto,  It.;  Vert,  Aigrelet,  Fr.). — Green 
wine  is  not  synonymous  with  young  wine,  as  might  be  supposed  at 
first;  greenness  is  a  quality  which  a  new  wine  may  and  generally  does 
have. 

A  wine  is  said  to  be  green  when  it  has  an  acidity  and  roughness 
which,  though  pronounced,  is  of  such  a  character  that  it  will  disappear 
with  time. 

Thus,  incompletely  ripened  grapes  give  a  green  wine,  owing  to  a  small 
quantity  of  volatile  acid  and  acid  salts  which  they  contain,  and  more 
especially  bi-tartrate  of  potash. 

Greenness  is  characteristic  of  certain  new  wines,  and  also  of  many 
mature  wines  produced  in  northern  countries. 

TART  (Acidulo,  Acidetto,  It.;  Acidule,  Aigrelet,  Fr.). — Said  of  a  wine 
possessing  an  agreeable  and  sufficient  acidity,  due  to  the  presence  of  free 
tartaric  acid  and  sometimes  of  carbonic  acid,  especially  when  this  latter 
is  in  such  amount  as  to  become  free  easily,  and  so  affect  sensibly  the  tip 
of  the  tongue. 

HARSHLY  ACID  (Acerbo,  It.;  Acerbe,  Fr.). — Expresses  a  sharp,  harsh 
acidity,  like  that  in  sour  or  unripe  fruit,  which  puts  the  teeth  on  edge 


42  WINE    AND    THE -ART    OF    WINE    TASTING. 

and  draws  up  the  lips  and  mouth.  This  acidity  comes  from  immature 
seeds  or  green  stems,  which  communicate  their  acids,  such  as  malic, 
racemic,  etc.,  to  the  wine;  in  other  words,  the  acid  is  the  same  chem- 
ically as  that  found  in  unripe  fruit.* 

Wine  produced  from  grapes  which  for  some  cause  or  other  have  not 
reached  their  maturity,  are  always  more  or  less  harshly  acid. 

With  time  this  repellant  acidity  disappears,  for  the  reason,  according 
to  Dessaignes,  that  the  malic  acid,  after  eight  or  ten  months,  decomposes 
into  succinic  and  butyric  acids,  f 

MATURE  WINE  ( Vino  maturo,  It.;  Vin  mur,  Fr.). — A  mature  wine  is 
one  which  has  quite  developed  all  its  characteristic  qualities,  and  which 
is  therefore  ready  to  be  drunk,  or  to  be  placed  in  bottles,  where,  in  aging, 
it  will  go  on  improving. 

DECREPIT  WINE  (  Vino  decrepito,  passato,  It.;  Vin  passe,  affiabli,  Fr.). — 
The  caducity  of  a  wine  is  the  stage,  according  to  Dr.  Guyot,  where  it  has 
passed  its  prime  maturity,  and  when  it  has  already  commenced  to 
deteriorate;  when,  in  other  words,  it  has  lost  some  or  all  of  the  qualities 
due  to  its  volatile  principles  and  other  constituents. 

A  decrepit  wine  has  lost  its  fragrance,  has  become  flat;  it  has  not 
contracted  any  disagreeable  or  repelling  flavor,  for  the  taste  of  age  that 
these  wines  have  cannot  be  called  disagreeable  in  the  same  sense  as  a 
wine  which  is  attacked  by  the  disease  called  bitterness,  but  it  has  a  slight 
bitterness  which  recalls  that  of  some  resinous  substances. 

These  wines,  when  they  find  themselves  in  favorable  conditions,  as 
when  exposed  to  the  air,  decompose  readily. 

"A  wine  which  has  been  exposed  to  the  cold  of  winter  and  the  heat  of 
summer  acquires  in  the  month  of  September  the  taste  which  Italians 
call  'settembrino,'  which  is  exhausted  and  'passe.'" — M.  Salvini. 

DRYJ  (  Vino  asciutto,  It.;  Vin  sec,  Fr.). — This  is  said  of  a  wine  which 
leaves  in  the  mouth  a  sense  of  dryness.  It  is  a  characteristic  of  highly 
alcoholic  and  somewhat  astringent  wines.  "  Pomino  leaves  the  mouth 
dry,"  say  the  Tuscans.  A  dry  wine  is  not  only  without  even  the  slightest 
taste  of  glucose,  but  it  does  not  contain,  or  only  in  the  most  minute 
degree,  the  quality  of  smoothness  due  to  a  certain  quantity  of  glycerine, 
and,  in  the  case  of  high-class  wines,  of  other  substances. 

ASTRINGENT  (Aspretto,  It.;  Un  peu  dpre,  Fr.). — When  the  tannin  is 
somewhat  noticeable. 

*This  acidity  must  not  be  confounded  with  that  due  to  the  acetification  of  the  wine. 
This  excessive  acidity  may  be  amended  by  an  indirect  method,  which  is  that  suggested 
by  Gall,  and  which  aims  to  correct  the  must  before  fermentation.  Or  some  may  have 
recourse  to  "marmorizzazione;"  that  is,  the  addition  to  the  wine  of  powdered  calcium 
carbonate  (marble),  which  is,  however,  a  method  which  cannot  be  very  highly  recom- 
mended, and  when  necessary,  Liebig's  method  is  much  to  be  preferred.  This  method  is 
to  add  to  the  wine  a  concentrated  solution  of  neutral  tartrate  of  potash  in  such  propor- 
tion as  to  bring  down  the  acidity  to  the  desired  degree. 

As  a  preliminary  test,  to  ascertain  with  an  approximation  near  enough  for  practical 
purposes,  several  quart  bottles  are  filled  with  the  wine  to  be  treated,  and  to  each  bottle 
is  added  a  certain  quantity  of  the  solution  of  neutral  tartrate  of  potash,  each  bottle  being 
given  a  slightly  greater  dose  than  the  one  before.  The  bottles  are  then  corked  and  left 
to  themselves  for  a  few  days.  They  are  then  tasted,  and  the  one  giving  the  desired  result 
is  used  as  the  basis  of  calculation  for  treating  the  whole  quantity. 

t  The  organic  acids  contained  in  the  must  are  the  following:  Tartaric,  racemic,  malic, 
citric,  tannic,  palmitic,  stearic,  etc. 

The  acids,  on  the  other  hand,  which  are  produced  by  fermentation,  the  oxidation  of 
the  alcohol,  or  the  breaking  up  of  the  sugar,  are:  Carbonic,  acetic,  propionic,  butyric, 
valerianic,  capronic,  (jenanthilic,  pelargonic,  succinic,  lactic,  etc. 

%  This  is  a  restricted  use  of  the  term  dry,  somewhat  different  from  its  more  general 
meaning,  which  is  simply  not  sweet,  that  is,  containing  no  glucose. — Trans. 


WINE  AND  THE  ART  OF  WINE  TASTING.  43 

ROUGH  (Austero,  Pavido,  Allappante, It.;  Austere,  Apre,  Picotant,  Fr.). — 
These  terms  are  used  of  wines  which,  on  account  of  their  excess  of  tan- 
nin, or  rather  oenotannin,  are  in  the  highest  degree  rough  and  astringent. 
Their  flavor,  which  is  somewhat  nauseous,  recalls  immediately  that  of 
ink,  or  of  ferruginous  substances. 

In  drinking  a  rough,  overastringent  wine,  a  feeling  of  dryness  is  pro- 
duced on  the  tongue  and  along  the  oesophagus.  The  daily  use  of  wines 
of  this  character,  by  persons  of  delicate  constitution,  may  occasion 
organic  disorders. 

This  roughness  tends  to  diminish  with  time,  and  may  completely  dis- 
appear; the  cause  being  that  the  tannin,  under  the  influence  of  oxygen, 
gives  place  to  a  slo\v  formation  of  carbonic  and  gallic  acids. 

(Enotannin*  possesses  tonic  properties,  and  insures  the  conservation 
of  the  wine  by  causing  coagulation,  and  consequently  the  elimination 
of  many  substances  which  the  wine  contains,  substances  whose  presence 
is  dangerous  from  their  instability,  and  because  they  favor  the  develop- 
ment of  those  organisms  to  which  are  due  secondary  fermentations. 

High-class  and  fine  wines  when  young,  and  even  sometimes  when  old, 
are  more  or  less  markedly  rough;  this  roughness  they  lose  with  time. 

HARSH  (Duro,  It.;  Dur,  Fr.). — Harsh  wines  are  generally  young  wines 
rich  in  tartar  and  tannin,  and  which,  consequently,  leave  a  repellant 
impression  on  the  papillae  of  the  tongue  and  palate. 

Harsh  wines  are  lacking  in  delicacy  and  value. 

Harshness,  of  itself,  is  a  defect;  ordinarily  it  is  due  to  the  soil,  and  in 
that  case  the  wine  is  also  heavy  bodied.  This  defect  may  also  be  owing 
to  unskillful  preparation  or  handling. 

Harsh  wines  keep  easily,  and  can  be  kept  for  a  longer  or  shorter  time, 
according  to  their  quality. 

*  (Enotannin  has  the  property  of  forming  with  gelatine  and  with  albumen  volumin- 
ous insoluble  compounds,  wnich  precipitate  with  great  readiness.  By  means  of  clarifi- 
cation, therefore,  tne  contents  of  cenotannin  can  be  notably  diminished,  thus  curing,  or 
at  least  considerably  lessening,  the  defect  of  roughness. 

I  have  called  roughness  a  defect,  but  that  should  be  understood  relatively,  not  abso- 
lutely, for  it  should  not  be  forgotten  that  the  general  trade  demands  a  certain  rough- 
ness, and  wines  in  which  it  is  lacking  are  often  given  this  character  artificially  by  the 
addition  of  alum,  which  is  undeniably  an  adulteration,  or  by  the  addition  of  tannin. 

Alum  is  used  by  unprincipled  dealers,  and  has  the  quality  of  reviving  the  color, 
precipitating  the  albuminoids,  and  imparting  a  roughness,  almost  styptic,  analogous  to 
that  presented  by  the  common  Bordeaux  wines. 

The  wine  maker  has  the  choice  of  two  kinds  of  tannin  which  are  found  in  commerce, 
and  which  differ  in  their  mode  of  extraction  or  preparation.  Thus,  the  tannin  may  be 
extracted  from  galls  by  means  of  ether,  giving  a  tannin  pure,  but  retaining  a  taste  of 
ether,  which  renders  it  objectionable  in  the  treatment  of  wine.  The  other  kind,  which 
is  extracted  by  alcohol,  is  inodorous,  and  therefore  preferable  for  the  wine  maker. 

Pure  tannin  dissolves  completely  in  alcohol,  and  in  water  mixed  with  10  per  cent  of 
alcohol,  and  the  solution  should  be  limpid.  When  the  wine  maker  needs  tannin  he  can 
make  use  of  the  grape  seeds,  which  contain  a  considerable  quantity;  the  seeds  may  be 
used  either  fresh  or  dry,  the  latter  being  more  convenient,  as  they  can  be  preserved  from 
year  to  year. 

It  is  to  be  remarked  that  clarification  attempted  with  isinglass,  gelatine,  or  white  of 
egg,  does  not  always  succeed;  the  failure  is  due  to  the  lack  or  insufficiency  of  tannin  in 
the  wine,  or  to  its  superabundance. 

This  explains  the  common  usage  of  adding  tannin  to  white  wines  before  attempting 
to  clarify  them;  or  in  the  case  of  highly  tannic  red  wines  why,  after  adding  the  clarifi- 
cation, it  is  often  necessary,  in  order  to  produce  perfect  limpidity,  to  have  recourse  to 
sulphuring  and  racking.  This  is  what  the  cellarman  means  when  he  says  that  the  wine 
has  not  taken  the  finings. 

Wines  which  have  fermented  slowly,  and  which  contain  substances  resembling  humic 
compounds,  can  sometimes  be  fined  even  when  lacking  in  tannin. 

It  is  also  worthy  of  remark  that  tannin  has  a  great  influence  on  the  color  of  wine;  it 
tends  to  increase  it,  and,  according  to  M.  Nessler,  if  the  wine  remains  for  some  time  in 
contact  with  the  lees,  it  prevents,  to  a  great  extent,  the  diminution  of  the  color. 


44  WINE    AND    THE    ART    OF    WINE    TASTING. 

The  life  of  ordinary  or  common  wines,  which  are  harsh,  is  limited  to 
a  few,  two  or  three,  years.  These  wines  in  losing  their  harshness  gain 
little  or  nothing  in  value,  in  fact,  as  they  lose  the  defect  of  harshness, 
they  acquire  another,  that  due  to  tartaric  fermentation. 

Harsh  wines  which  have  good  quality  and  body  keep  for  a  long  time, 
and  after  some  years  lose  their  harshness;  they  thus  become  more  homo- 
geneous, harmonious,  and  pleasing,  or  as  the  experts  express  it,  they 
become  rounded. 

If  these  wines  are  drunk  before  they  have  lost  a  portion  of  their 
harshness,  they  are  not  very  hygienic. 

BITTERISH  (Amarognolo,  It.;  Un  pen  amer,  Fr.). — This  is  not  a  defect; 
it  is  even  up  to  a  certain  point  a  good  quality;  that  is,  when  the  bitter- 
ness is  very  slight,  delicate,  aromatic,  in  short,  pleasing;  as  a  rule,  a 
slight  touch  of  bitterness  is  characteristic  of  densely  colored  wines. 

Very  often  this  quality  is  due  to  the  presence  of  carbonic  acid  in  solu- 
tion; for  example,  in  young  wines  or  those  which  have  been  treated  by 
the  Italian  method  called  "  il  governo."* 

Sometimes,  in  the  common  language,  all  wines  are  called  bitter,  but 
with  impropriety,  which  are  not  sweet;  from  which  the  Tuscan  proverb, 
Vino  amaro  tienlo  caro,  which  means,  the  wine  which  is  not  sweet  is 
always  of  best  quality. 

BITTER  (Amaro,  It.;  Amere,  Fr.). — Bitterness  is  a  defect,  and  may  be 
due,  as  in  general  it  is,  to  a  real  malady  caused  by  a  micro-organism. 

"  L'amertume  est  pour  nous  la  maladie  organique  des  vins  de  Pinot." — 
Vergnette  Lamotte. 

Wines  of  this  kind  have  a  harsh,  repelling,  nauseating  bitterness,  due 
to  secondary  fermentations,  or  in  the  case  of  young  wines,  to  principles 
which  they  have  extracted  from  the  skins  or  stalks  during  fermentation. 

According  to  M.  Nessler  the  tendency  of  a  wine  to  this  disease  is 
augmented  by  remaining  long  in  contact  with  the  pomace. 

The  bitter  taste  affects  principally  the  posterior  portions  of  the  tongue 
and  palate,  and  the  sensation  persists  for  some  time. 

This  fault,  which  most  cenologists  consider  confined  to  red  wine,  is 
found  also,  we  are  told  by  M.  Ottavi,  in  white  wines.  He  claims  to  have 
encountered  it  in  the  white  wines  of  Piedmont. 

Nessler  observes  that  white  wines  are  less  subject  to  this  defect  or 
malady  than  red,  thus  admitting,  by  implication,  that  they  do  some- 
times become  bitter. 

The  bitter  secondary  fermentation  may  develop  in  any  wine,  but  is 
more  frequent  in  fine  and  delicate  wines.  In  common  wines  the  disease 
usually  occurring  is  the  tartaric  fermentation. 

In  general,  highly  colored  wines,  rich  in  extractive  matters,  are  most 
liable  to  the  attacks  of  the  disease  of  bitterness. 

The  high-class  wines  of  Bourgogne,  made  from  the  Pinot,  not  exclud- 
ing even  those  made  in  the  most  favorable  years,  are  subject  to  attack 
by  this  disease. 

In  the  finest  wines  Vergnette  Lamotte  distinguishes  two  kinds  of  bit- 
terness: That  which  attacks  the  wine  during  the  first  two  or  three  years 
of  its  life,  and  which  is  the  most  dangerous;  and  that  which  shows  itself 

*  "  II  governo  "  is  a  method  of  wine  treatment  in  common  use  in  Tuscany,  which  con- 
sists essentially  in  maintaining  a  slow,  protracted  fermentation  in  a  poor  or  neutral 
wine  by  the  addition  of  half-dried  grapes  of  high  quality,  or  containing  an  abundance 
of  those  substances  lacking  in  the  wine  treated,  as  color,  body,  tannin,  etc. — Trans. 


WINE    AND    THE   ART    OF    WINE    TASTING. 


45 


in  old  and  decrepit  wines.  This  second  bitterness,  due  perhaps  more  to 
chemical  reactions  than  to  the  action  of  ferments,  is  only  relatively  an 
ill,  as  the  wine  can  be  consumed  before  it  reaches  complete  decrepitude. 

Tasteur  holds  that  even  this  second  bitterness,  which  Vergnette 
Lamotte  lays  to  the  account  of  decrepitude,  is  caused  by  the  same  or- 
ganism which  determines  the  first  kind. 

This  organism  may  remain  inert  for  a  longer  or  shorter  period,  till  in 
the  course  of  aging  the  wine  presents  the  necessary  favorable  conditions 
for  its  development. 

In  conclusion,  I  will  say  that  the  bitter  taste  is  a  somewhat  serious 
defect;  a  defect  which  may  be  more  or  less  marked,  as  it  may  be  transi- 
tory or  permanent.* 

*  The  bitter  taste  in  wine  may  be  the  consequence  of  imperfect  maturity  of  the  grapes, 
owing  either  to  an  unpropitious  season,  or  to  the  damage  caused  by  insect  or  crypto- 
gamic  pests;  or  it  may  be  the  consequence  of  a  secondary  fermentation,  caused  by  a 
micro-organism,  i.  e.,  the  "bitter  ferment,"  which  determines  the  formation  of  those 
substances  which  impart  this  taste  to  the  wine.  In  the  latter  case  we  have  a  true 
disease. 

When  the  bitterness  is  due  to  the  principles  which  have  passed  from  the  grapes  and 
stems  into  the  wine,  then  with  time  and  successive  finings  and  rackings  it  will  disappear. 
This  is  explained  by  the  supposition  that  the  nitrogenous  substances  become  impreg- 
nated with  the  bitter  principles,  and  thus,  when  the  former  are  precipitated,  they  carry 
along  with  them  the  latter,  the  wine  in  this  way  losing  this  defect. 

The  bitter  taste,  if  very  pronounced,  may  not  disappear  after  the  first  rackings,  in  which 
case  the  wine  should  be  fined  with  gelatine  or  white  of  egg. 

If  the  wine  be  weak,  the  coagulation  of  the  albumen  may  be  facilitated  by  the  addi- 
tion of  alcohol. 

According  to  the  quality  of  the  wine,  it  may  be  given  a  light  clarification  with  the 
whites  of  three  or  four  eggs  per  hectolitre,  or  a  more  energetic  treatment  with  25  grammes 
of  gelatine. 

Such  a  treatment  not  being  found  sufficient,  recourse  must  be  had  to  the  use  of  olive 
oil  of  good  quality;  of  this  the  dose  to  be  used  is  one  half  litre  per  hectolitre.  The  oil 
is  poured  into  the  wine,  the  whole  thoroughly  stirred,  and  then  allowed  to  rest;  the  oil 
separates  from  the  wine,  and  carries  with  it  the  substances  which  have  caused  the  bit- 
terness. 

Directly  after  racking  a  wine  with  access  of  air,  it  will  sometimes  become  slightly 
bitter;  this  seems  to  be  caused  by  the  action  of  the  oxygen  of  the  air  upon  substances 
contained  in  the  wine;  later  the  bitterness  disappears,  owing  very  probably  to  the  rapid 
oxidation  which  causes  these  substances  to  precipitate.  In  this  way  M.  Mona  explains 
how  bitter  wines  in  bottles  can,  with  time,  lose  this  defect. 

Formerly  various  opinions  were  held  regarding  this  malady,  because,  in  all  probability, 
people  failed  to  distinguish  between  bitterness  proper  and  the  malady  due  to  tartaric 
fermentation,  or  "la  pousse.'' 

Thus  De  Blassis  attributed  it  to  changes  of  the  salts,  especially  of  bi-tartrate  of  potash; 
Machard  to  an  invisible  action  of  the  fermentative  principle,  decomposing  the  last  rem- 
nants of  sugar  and  salts  in  the  wine;  Leboeuf  to  an  abnormal  fermentation,  which 
produced,  sometimes,  citric  ether,  which  has  a  bitter  taste;  Vergnette  Lamotte  to  a 
secondary  fomentation,  caused  by  a  parasitic  vegetation,  which  decomposed  the  wine  in 
consuming  the  coloring  matter;  Neubauer  found  that  the  quantity  of  tannin  and  of 
coloring  matter  diminished  with  the  progress  of  the  malady.  Finally  Pasteur,  after  the 
studv  of  many  bitter  wines,  has  demonstrated  that  this  malady  is  caused  by  the  action 

_(•         *     •  *        •  i«i  i  j_»     i  •     _          •  j_i j j  • •  j  *j : J.T . • • 


the  Bordelais.    He  adds  that  this  malady  presents  many  diversities  in  its  development, 
according  to  the  origin  and  the  nature  of  the  wine,  but  that  all  wines  are  subject  to  it. 

Ducleaux,  in  1873,  determined  the  volatile  acids  of  bitter  wines,  the  following  being 
the  result  of  his  analyses : 


Volatile 
Acid. 

Total 
Acidity. 

Acetic 
Acid. 

Butyric 
Acid. 

Sound  wine                _  ._ 

1.01  gr. 

4.40  gr. 

0.97  gr. 

0.04  gr. 

Bitter  wine  (1866) 

1.50  gr. 

5.15  gr. 

Bitter  wine  (1873)                               

1.95  gr. 

6.67  gr. 

1.83  gr. 

0.19  gr. 

The  increase  of  total  acidity  in  the  sick  wine  being  greater  than  could  be  accounted 
for  by  the  formation  of  acetic  acid  at  the  expense  of  the  alcohol,  it  must  be  attributed 
to  the  fermentation  of  the  glycerine,  which,  in  fact,  had  diminished. 


46  WINE    AND    THE    ART    OF    WINE    TASTING. 

EARTHY  TASTE  (Terroso,  It.;  Terreux,  Gout  de  terroir,  Gout  de  pierre  a 
fusil,  Fr.). — By  the  term  earthy  a  single  definite  taste  must  not  be  under- 
stood, but  divers  flavors  which  are  all  in  general  disgusting  or  bad. 

In  tasting,  these  flavors  are  perceived  by  the  posterior  part  of  the 
mouth,  and  may  have  their  origin  in  the  soil,  in  the  use  of  inappropriate 
fertilizers,  in  the  plants  supporting  the  vines,  or  in  the  weeds  infesting 
the  vineyard,  etc. 

"  The  earthy  taste  is  a  vague  term,"  writes  Ottavi,  and  with  justice, 
for  it  is  a  taste  which  is  not  always  very  definite,  resembling  sometimes 
earth,  manure,  flint,  slate,  nuts,  willow,  grass,  etc.  It  is  well  known 
that  Aristolochia,  Mercurialis,  etc.,  if  allowed  to  groAv  in  the  vineyard, 
communicate  their  flavor  to  the  grapes,  and  therefore  to  the  wine. 
Pliny  was  not  mistaken  when  he  wrote:  "In  general,  the  vine  takes  up 
with  an  astonishing  facility  the  flavors  of  neighboring  plants.  The 
grapes  grown  in  the  marshy  soils  of  Padua  have  a  taste  of  willow." 

Generally  the  earthy  taste  is  not  found  in  high-class  or  fine  wines.  I 
say  generally,  because  there  are  exceptions;  for  example,  Chablis  has  a 
slight  flavor  of  flint,  and  yet  it  is  a  wine  of  a  certain  renown. 

Richelieu,  speaking  to  Louis  XV  of  a  certain  wine  of  Graves,  said: 
"//  sent  la  pierre  a  fusil  comme  une  vieille  carabine" 

The  flinty  taste,  writes  Petit  Lafitte,  has  something  vinous  and  ener- 
getic, which  exactly  recalls  the  sensation  experienced  by  the  olfactory 
organs  when  a  flint  recently  struck  by  the  steel  is  held  under  the  nose.* 

The  diminution  of  the  glycerine  was  also  pointed  out  by  Pasteur,  who,  besides,  stated 
that  the  tartaric  acid  did  not  dimmish. 

As  the  researches  of  Fritz  have  shown,  many  microbes  are  able  to  cause  fermentation 
of  the  glycerine  ;  thus,  under  the  action  of  the  Bacillus  butylicus  it  is  transformed  into 
butylic  alcohol  and  butyric  acid. 

Recently,  B.  Hass  experimented  with  a  view  of  ascertaining  whether  the  bitter  taste 
was  due  to  citric  ether,  as  Miiller  and  other  French  chemists  had  supposed,  or  to  some 
resinous  substance  produced  by  changes  of  the  aldehyde  in  presence  of  ammoniacal 
compositions  having  their  origin  in  the  albuminoid  matters  of  the  wine. 

By  exhausting  a  -wine  which  was  afflicted  with  the  bitter  disease,  and  which  he  had 
previously  rendered  alkaline  with  ether,  he  obtained  a  resin  slightly  soluble  in  water, 
very  soluble  in  alcohol  and  in  acetic  ether,  insoluble  in  carbon  bi-sulphide,  turning 
brown  in  contact  with  the  alcohols,  becoming  greenish  with  ferric  chloride,  and  having 
the  extremely  bitter  taste  of  the  diseased  wine. 

Hass  has  found  by  his  experiments  that  the  best  way  of  curing  a  wine  afflicted  with 
this  malady,  is  by  the  use  01  oxidizing  agents.  Oxigenated  water  in  small  quantities  is 
inefficacious ;  in  larger  quantities  it  destroys  the  bitter  taste,  but  produces  another  not 
less  disgusting.  The  best  results  have  been  obtained  by  aeration. 

The  wine  is  fortified  by  the  addition  of  alcohol  till  it  contains  13  per  cent  by -volume, 
if  of  feeble  character  and  liable  to  acetify.  A  current  of  air  is  then  passed  through  the 
wine  for  two  hours,  and  the  bitterness  disappears  completely. 

Filtration  through  pomace  or  cellulose  has  an  excellent  effect,  the  bitter  substance 
seeming  to  be  removed  by  physical  attraction. 

This  disease  may  be  said  to  have  several  stages.  At  first  the  wine  is  still  clear,  but 
less  fragrant,  duller  in  color,  and  with  a  slight  bitter  taste.  Later  it  acquires  an  odor 
sui  generis;  the  bitter  taste  increases,  becoming  piquant  on  account  of  the  small  quan- 
tity of  carbonic  acid  produced  by  the  secondary  fermentation  which  takes  place.  Finally 
it  loses  its  natural  color,  becoming  brownish,  with  a  tendency  to  blue;  there  has  then 
taken  place  a  serious  change  in  one  of  the  principal  components  of  the  wine — the 
extractive  matter — and  the  wine  has  become  an  undrmkable  liquid. 

*  According  to  Doussieux,  the  earthy  taste  is  due  probably  to  the  solution  and  evapora- 
tion of  a  part  of  the  mineral  and  metallic  substances  which  are  found  in  the  soil  of  certain 
vineyards. 

Petit  Lafitte  seems  inclined  to  attribute  the  flinty  taste  to  iron  and  alumina. 

Ladrey,  on  the  other  hand,  accounts  for  it  by  the  presence  of  much  silica  in  the  soil, 
and  many  analyses  show  silica  not  only  in  the  leaves  and  seeds  of  the  vine,  but  also  in 
the  wine. 

Joulie  states  that  the  flinty  taste  is  due  to  the  fact  that  pyroniac  silica  contains  a  bitu- 
minous substance  of  organic  origin,  the  peculiar  taste  of  which  is  communicated  to  the 
wine. 

It  should  also  be  remembered  that  the  experiments  of  Thenard  prove  that  silicate  of 
lime  is  much  more  soluble  in  water  than  was  formerly  believed. 


WINE  AND  THE  ART  OF  WINE  TASTING.  47 

According  to  the  experiments  made  by  Aubergier,  the  principle  to 
which  wines  owe  their  earthy  taste  is  found  neither  in  the  seeds  nor  in 
the  stems,  but  in  the  skins  of  the  grapes.  From  15  kilogrammes  of 
pomace  he  extracted  30  grammes  of  a  volatile  oil  so  acrid  and  penetrat- 
ing that  a  single  drop  was  sufficient  to  infect  10  litres  of  the  best  brandy,  f 

This  fact  supports  the  opinion  of  those  who  see  in  the  prolonged  con- 
tact of  the  wine  with  the  pomace  the  cause  of  the  earthy  taste. 

Certainly,  by  improving  the  soil,  by  the  use  of  proper  fertilizers,  by  a 
good  defecation  of  the  must,  by  a  prompt  removal  of  the  wine  from  the 
pomace,  by  clarification  and  rackings,  the  taste  under  discussion  is 
much  diminished,  and  sometimes  completely  eliminated. 

TASTE  OB*  SOIL  (Sa  di  terra,  It.;  Gout  de  terre,  Fr.). — When  the  wine 
has  that  taste  of  soil  or  of  clay,  due  to  the  presence  of  soil  in  the  must 
during  fermentation.  The  soil  in  the  must  may  come  from  the  skins 
of  the  grapes,  which  may  easily  become  covered  with  it  when  the 
bunches  lie  too  close  to  the  ground,  or  may  have  become  mixed  with 
the  grapes  accidentally  or  by  carelessness. 

This  taste  may  come,  also,  from  the  clay  which  the  peasants  sometimes 
use  as  cement  to  close  the  leaks  in  tubs,  vats,  or  other  utensils. 

TASTE  OF  BRINE,  SALT  (Sa  di  salmastro,  di  salso,  It.;  Gout  de  saumdtre, 
de  sale,  Fr.). — The  wine  has  sometimes  the  taste  of  common  or  culinary 
salt. 

This  defect  is  found  in  wines  grown  in  soil  rich  in  salt,  or  in  localities 
near  the  sea. 

COOKED  TASTE  (Sa  di  cotto,  It.;  Gout  de  cuit,  Fr.). — If  the  wine  has  a 
taste  more  or  less  pronounced  of  must  or  caramel,  due  generally  to  the 
action  of  fire  upon  the  must  when  the  latter  has  been  concentrated 
carelessly,  or  by  direct  heat. 

This  taste  is  caused,  also,  by  an  over-maturity  of  the  grapes,  as  hap- 
pens in  very  hot  weather,  and  especially  when  the  grapes  are  thick- 
skinned;  it  may  be  caused,  also,  by  frozen  grapes,  or  by  the  freezing  of 
the  wine;  in  the  latter  case  especially  when  the  pieces  of  ice  formed  in 
the  wine  are  not  carefully  removed. 

RESINOUS  TASTE  (Sa  di  resina,  It.;  Gout  de  resine,  Fr.). — This  taste 
is  found  in  wines  which  have  been  kept  in  receptacles  made  of  resinous 
wood. 

BREAD  TASTE  (Sa  di  pane,  It.;  Gout  de  pain,  Fr.). — Some  sweet  liquor 
wines  have  an  agreeable  taste  which  reminds  one  of  the  odor  of  fresh 
bread. 

TASTE  OF  DRUGS,  MEDICINAL  TASTE  (Sa  di  droyhe,  It.;  Gout  de  drogues, 
Fr.). — A  taste  due  to  the  addition  of  some  infusion  or  drug  to  the  wine. 

Regarding  the  quantity  of  silica  contained  in  wine,  we  have  the  analyses  of  Boussin- 
gault,  who,  in  analyzing  his  wine  grown  at  Smalzberg  (Bas  Rhin),  found  6.096  gr.  of 
silica  per  1.870  gr.  of  ash  in  a  gallon  of  wine,  5  per  cent  of  the  mineral  ingredients. 

Grasso,  in  the  ash  of  four  different  musts,  found  the  following  quantities  of  silica: 

Petit  Bourgogne  (not  mature) 1.991  per  cent. 

Petit  Bourgogne  (mature) 2.099  per  cent. 

Petit  Bourgogne  (mature,  but  from  a  different  soil) 1.191  per  cent. 

Griin  Sylvaner  (white,  mature) 2.181  per  cent. 

In  the  skins  the  proportion  was  greater;  in  those  of  the  first  it  was  3.464,  and  2.571  in 
those  of  the  fourth. 

t  That  a  drop  of  this  oil  is  capable  of  infecting  so  large  a  quantity  of  brandy  is  not 
wonderful,  when  we  reflect  on  the  sensibility  of  our  organism,  especially  of  our  sense  of 
smell,  which  is  so  susceptible  as  to  surpass  the  extremely  delicate  spectroscope.  Thus, 
for  example,  Valentin  has  shown  that  one  five  hundred  thousandth  of  a  milligramme 
of  sulph-hydric  acid,  or  one  two  millionth  of  a  milligramme  of  essence  of  roses,  is  suf- 
ficient to  make  an  impression  on  our  olfactory  organs. 


48  WINE    AND    THE   ART    OF    WINE    TASTING. 

BURNT  TASTE  (Sa  d'abbruciato,  It.;  Gout  de  brule,  Fr.). — When  the 
wine  has  a  flavor  of  acrid  fruit,  together  with  a  spurious  cooked  taste. 

The  taste  of  which  we  speak  is  a  consequence  of  the  partial  withering 
of  the  grapes  before  their  maturity,  on  account  of  extreme  heat  or  of 
great  changes  of  temperature  between  night  and  day. 

MOUSEY  TASTE  (Sa  di  topo,-It.',  Gout  de  souris,  Fr.). — A  wine  will 
sometimes  have  a  disgusting  flavor  and  odor  that  recalls  forcibly  the 
odor  of  the  excrements  of  mice.  The  cause  of  this  defect  is  not  well 
known.  According  to  some  authorities,  it  is  due  to  lack  of  cleanliness 
in  the  receptacles  in  which  the  wine  is  kept.  Others  believe  it  to  be 
caused  by  the  action  of  the  oxygen  of  the  air  on  the  extractive  matter 
of  the  wine,  for  there  seems  sometimes  to  be  a  distant  analogy  between 
the  mousey  taste  and  the  fresh  bread  taste  so  much  appreciated  in  some 
liquors.  It  is  very  probable  that  both  of  these  causes  concur  to  produce 
this  taste,  for  it  is  found  sometimes  even  in  wines  which  have  been  kept 
in  glass. 

The  mousey  taste  may  be  more  or  less  intense,  and  wines  affected 
produce  a  dry  feeling  in  the  mouth  when  they  are  tasted.  If  a  wine  has 
this  taste  in  a  very  slight  degree  it  is  not  noticed  immediately;  it  often 
happens  that  after  passing  judgment  on  a  wine,  one's  opinion  has  to  be 
modified  by  a  mousey  taste  which  is  not  perceived  at  first.  If  the  defect 
is  pronounced,  it  is  perceived  immediately  by  the  nose;  the  odor  and 
taste  too,  in  this  case,  are  so  disgusting  as  to  be  sickening. 

HEATED  TASTE  (Sa  di  riscaldato,  It.;  Gout  de  rechauffe,  Fr.). — This 
unpleasant  flavor  is  hard  to  define,  as,  in  fact,  it  is  a  mixture  of  various 
flavors — of  acetic  acid,  of  stems,  of  organic  matter  slightly  decaying 
under  the  influence  of  heat  and  moisture,  etc. 

This  taste  is  easily  produced  by  allowing  the  cap  to  become  overheated 
during  fermentation,  or  by  heating  grapes  before  crushing  them. 

With  time  this  taste  tends  to  disappear,  but  when  somewhat  pro- 
nounced it  diminishes,  leaving  the  wine  with  a  somewhat  acrid  taste. 

SULPHUR  SMELL,  or  better,  SMELL  OF  SULPH-HYDRIC  ACID. — An  odor 
resembling  rotten  eggs  which  a  wine  may  have,  and  which  is  due  to  the 
presence  of  sulph-hydric  acid  or  suphuretted  hydrogen.* 

TASTE  OF  STALE  EGGS  (Sa  di  uova  stantle,  It.;  Gout  d'oeuf  gate,  Fr.). — 
This  taste,  which  is  easier  to  avoid  than  to  cure,  comes  from  the  use  of 
eggs  not  perfectly  fresh  for  fining. 

ODOR  OF  SULPHUROUS  ACID,  OR  OF  SULPHUR  VAPOR. — A  wine  often  has 
the  odor  characteristic  of  this  substance  when  it  has  been  recently 
racked  into  an  excessively  sulphured  cask. 

As  every  one  knows,  things  that  are  useful  when  used  in  moderation 
become  dangerous  when  used  in  excess.  This  is  the  case  with  sulphur- 
ous acid. 

*  It  is  generally  held  that  the  cause  of  the  formation  of  sulph-hydric  acid  in  the  wine  is 
the  presence  of  sulphur  in  the  fermenting  mass,  as  happens  when  the  vines  have  been 
sulphured  in  such  a  way  as  to  allow  sulphur  to  adhere  to  the  grapes.  This  is  indeed  the 
principal  cause,  but  not  the  only  one.  Nessler  cites  six  of  these  causes,  which  are:  The 
sulphuring  of  the  vines;  the  sulphuring  of  casks;  the  use  of  sulphur  tape;  the  use  of 
certain  fertilizers;  the  cultivation  of  the  vines  in  certain  soils;  the  presence  of  iron  in 
the  vats  or  casks. 

To  these  causes,  most  probably,  should  be  added  another,  that  of  the  reduction  of  sul- 
phates by  micro-organisms,  a  reduction  first  noticed  by  Planchud,  who  attributed  it  to 
vital  action.  This  action  has  been  found  by  Etard  and  Olivier  to  be  due  to  algse  of  the 
group  of  oscillators,  called  Beggiatoa  (B.  roseo-persicina,  B.  mirabilis,  B.  alba).  Other  algae 
of  the  genus  Ulothrix  have  the  same  property. 

Is  it  not  possible  that  micro-organisms  might  be  found  in  wine  resembling  and  acting 
in  the  same  way  as  these  algse  found  in  sulphurous  waters? 


WINE    AND    THE    ART    OF    WINE    TASTING.  49 

The  fine  experiments  of  Duboeuf  and  J.  Bruhl  on  the  action  of  sul- 
phurous anhydride,  or  acid,  on  micro-organisms,  have  an  important 
bearing  here. 

They  have  deduced  from  their  experiments  the  following  conclusions: 

1.  Sulphurous  acid  gas  has  an  evident  microbicidal  action  on  the 
germs  contained  in  the  air. 

2.  This  action  is  especially  perceptible  when  the  air  is  saturated  with 
water  vapor. 

3.  Sulphurous  acid  acts  particularly  on  the  germs  of  bacteria. 

4.  Pure  sulphurous  acid  will  destroy  germs,  even  in  the  dry  state,  if 
the  action  is  sufficiently  prolonged. 

Sulphurous  acid,  when  used  in  excessive  quantities,  takes  away  from 
the  quality  and  color  of  the  wine,  and  gives  it  a  bitterish,  astringent, 
and  displeasing  taste.  In  time  the  sulphurous  acid  changes  to  sulphuric, 
and  then  into  sulphate  of  potassium.  This  is  why  in  many  wines  is 
found  a  certain  quantity  of  this  sulphate,  which  is  dangerous  to  health, 
and,  when  sufficient  of  it  is  present,  would  lead  to  the  belief  that  the 
wine  had  been  plastered. 

At  the  end  of  the  last  century  it  was  shown  that  a  wine  sulphured  to 
excess  acquired  a  very  disagreeable  odor,  and  was  hurtful  to  the  health, 
causing  headache,  vertigo,  oppression  of  the  stomach,  nausea,  etc. 

In  practice  it  is  good  to  remember  that  the  more  alcoholic  a  wine  the 
more  sulphurous  acid  it  will  dissolve  or  absorb. 

Nessler,  making  a  comparison  of  water  and  wine  at  9  per  cent  of 
alcohol,  filled  a  barrel  quickly  with  each,  after  having  burned  as  much 
sulphur  as  the  air  in  the  barrel  would  consume,  and  found  that  the 
water  absorbed  .01035  per  cent  of  sulphurous  acid,  and  the  wine  .01346 
per  cent. 

The  quantity  of  sulphurous  acid  which  a  wine  will  absorb  in  process 
of  keeping  cannot  be  exactly  stated,  as  it  depends  on  the  number  of 
sulphurings,  the  amount  of  sulphur  burned,  or,  when  the  sulphur  is 
burned  directly  in  the  cask,  on  the  amount  of  oxygen  there. 

According  to  Weigert  the  quantity  of  oxygen  in  a  cask  of  one  hecto- 
litre is  21  litres  or  30  grammes.  By  burning  an  equal  quantity  of  sul- 
phur 60  grammes  of  sulphurous  acid  are  formed.  When  the  cask  is 
filled  all  this  is  not  dissolved,  because  part  is  oxidized  immediately,  and 
part  escapes  into  the  air  as  the  wine  enters  the  cask;  thus,  the  total 
amount  absorbed  by  the  wine  is  reduced  to  about  10  or  11  grammes. 

VARIOUS  ODORS  (  Violet,  Rose,  Mignonette,  Pink,  Bitter  Almonds,  etc.). — 
These  are  all  odors  given  artificially  to  the  wine  to  render  it  more  fra- 
grant, or  to  attempt  to  pass  it  off  as  a  wine  of  higher  quality  than  it 
really  is. 

Many  high-class  and  fine  wines,  in  aging,  develop  characteristic 
bouquets;  but  besides  bouquet  these  wines  have  seve,  which  artificially 
perfumed  wines  lack  altogether  or  have  little  of  in  proportion  to  their 
fragrance. 

Besides  the  odors  which  we  call  good,  which  have  been  added  artifi- 
cially, we  have  also  bad  odors  which  are  absorbed  from  the  air  by  the 
grapes  or  the  wine,  such  as  the  odor  of  tobacco,  of  grass,  etc. 

WOOD  TASTE  (Sapor  di  legno,  Asciutto,  Sa  di  secco,  It.;  Saveur  de  bois, 

Seche,  Gout  de  sec,  Fr.). — A  taste  not  easily  defined,  as  it  lies  somewhere 

between  that  of  wood  and  of  mold.     It  is  communicated  to  the  wine  by 

ill-kept  casks  which  have  become  "  secco,  asciutto,"  a  defect  seeming  to 

4 


50  WINE  AND  THE  ART  OF  WINE  TASTING. 

be  due  to  the  development  of  mold  in  the  inside  of  the  cask.  Sometimes 
wine  will  acquire  this  taste  when  left  long  with  ullage  or  in  imperfectly 
closed  casks. 

To  remove  this  taste  recourse  is  had  to  olive  oil,  lemons,  or  refermenta- 
tion  with  a  small  quantity  of  fresh  grapes. 

"  Se  egli  sappia  di  secco,  il  vino,  vi  abbia  odor  cattivo,  caccinvisi  dentro 
fiaccole  acuse,  e  vi  si  spengano" — Soderini. 

TASTE  OF  THE  STEMS. — This  is  a  rude,  unpleasant  taste,  vulgarly 
known  as  a  taste  of  ulegno  verde"  (green  wood).  It  is  found  in  wines 
which  have  been  allowed  a  too  prolonged  contact  with  the  stems,  or 
which  have  been  made  by  a  maceration  of  the  whole  bunch,  or  which 
have  been  made  from  bunches  not  perfectly  sound.  The  taste  of  stems 
is  generally  accompanied  by  some  bitterness. 

Clarifications  and  rackings  with  contact  of  the  air  will  often  destroy 
or  notably  diminish  the  stem  taste. 

When  it  is  desired  to  prolong  the  contact  of  the  wine  with  the 
pomace,  stemming  is  to  be  recommended. 

SMOKY  TASTE. — This  taste  resembles  the  smell  of  burning  wet  or  green 
wood.  It  is,  writes  Mona,  somewhat  acrid  and  bitter,  recalling  smoke 
and  soot.  According  to  Mona,  it  is  found  more  rarely  in  Italian  wines 
than  in  German. 

This  defect  may  be  occasioned  by  the  smoke  given  off  by  ill-constructed 
stoves  used  to  heat  the  fermenting-room  or  cellar;  or  it  may  be  due  to 
unfavorable  climatic  conditions  during  the  vintage. 

It  has  been  stated  that  musts  corrected  by  the  addition  of  cane  sugar 
will  sometimes  give  wines  with  this  taste. 

With  the  smoky  taste  a  wine  loses  its  brightness,  becomes  cloudy,  and 
if  not  cured  by  sulphuring,  changes  into  a  liquid  not  to  be  tolerated  by 
even  the  most  uncritical  palate. 

OAK  TASTE. — A  taste  which  a  wine  will  contract  after  two  or  three 
rackings  into  new  casks  which  have  not  been  properly  prepared,  espe- 
cially if  they  are  made  of  a  bad  quality  of  wood.  The  wine  in  this  case 
acquires  a  peculiar,  bitterish  taste,  according  to  Ottavi,  almost  aromatic, 
much  tannin,  and  often  the  real  flavor  of  the  wine  is  quite  destroyed. 

TASTE  OF  MERCAPTAN. — The  repugnant  taste  and  odor  of  onions  or 
garlic,  which  remains  even  after  the  wine  has  been  racked  into  well- 
sulphured  casks. 

The  same  causes  which  tend  to  produce  hydrogen-sulphide  in  the 
wine,  not  excepting  plastering  when  it  is  done  heavily,  tend  also  to  form 
mercaptan.  So  far  no  means  have  been  discovered  of  removing  this 
taste  from  wine. 

Polacci  was  the  first  to  observe  the  formation  of  these  products,  which 
have  a  fetid  and  persistent  odor,  and  are  due  to  the  action  of  sulph-hydric 
acid  and  sulphur  on  the  components  of  the  must  and  wine;  he  believes 
them  to  be  simply  ethylic  mercaptan.  Konig  thinks  that  this  reaction 
is  not  very  probable,  as  it  has  never  been  known  to  take  place  in  a 
dilute  acid  solution.  He  believes,  on  the  contrary,  that  the  aldehyde 
contained  in  most  wines  combines  easily  and  directly  in  a  dilute  acid 
solution  with  sulph-hydric  acid  to  form  thio-aldehyde  and  trithio-alde- 
hyde.  Now  these  compounds  are  endowed  with  a  strong,  persistent, 
and  disagreeable  odor,  resembling  closely  that  acquired  by  wines 
containing  sulph-hydric  acid;  it  may  be,  therefore,  that  the  mercaptanic 


WINE  AND  THE  ART  OF  WINE  TASTING.  51 

substance  spoken  of  by  Polacci  is  nothing  but  thio-aldehyde  or  trithio- 
aldehyde. 

TASTE  OF  LEES. — Wine,  by  a  prolonged  contact  with  the  lees,  loses 
its  clean  taste  and  acquires  a  more  or  less  pronounced  bitterness,  which 
has  a  distant  resemblance  to  a  taste  of  decay,  and  is  characteristic  of 
lees  even  when  sound.* 

TASTE  OF  DECAY  (Sapore  di  fradicio,  It.;  Saveur  de  pourri,  Fr.). — A 
taste  which  the  wine  contracts  from  unsound  cooperage  or  too  prolonged 
contact  with  the  lees;  it  is  a  repelling  taste  of  rottenness,  which,  how- 
ever, must  not  be  confounded  with  that  caused  by  putrid  fermentation 
of  the  wine. 

This  taste  may  also  originate  in  imperfectly  ripened  grapes,  which, 
through  the  prolonged  action  of  dampness,  have  commenced  to  decay. 

If  the  grapes  are  ripe  before  they  commence  to  decay,  the  wine  will 
still  have  something  of  this  taste,  but  it  will  be  less  disgusting  and  will 
tend  to  disappear  with  time;  the  wine  will,  however,  always  be  insipid, 
and  lack  frankness  of  taste. 

MOLDY  TASTE. — The  characteristic  taste  of  mold.  Wines  easily  con- 
tract this  taste,  either  from  moldy  casks  or  from  moldy  grapes  having 
been  used.  It  is  generally  possible  to  take  away  this  taste  by  the  use 
of  olive  oil. 

Sapore  di  tempesta,  It.;  Saveur  de  grdle,  Fr. — A  harsh,  bitterish,  some- 
what moldy  taste,  perceived  in  wine  made  from  grapes  that  have  been 
injured  by  hail  at  the  commencement  of  their  ripening. 

RANCID  (Rancido,  It.;  Ranee,  Fr.). — "When  the  wine  is  swallowed,  or 
whilst  it  is  being  drunk,  a  displeasing  taste  is  noticed  in  the  throat  and 
slightly  on  the  palate,  almost  analogous  to  that  of  rancid  substances, 
from  which  comes  the  name  given  to  this  disease  of  wine,  till  now 
unstudied  by  any  author.  The  ranee  can  also  be  smelt,  if  it  is  pro- 
nounced, but  a  good  nose  is  needed  to  discover  it,  and  a  delicate  palate 
to  taste  it,  at  its  incipiency." — 0.  Ottavi. 

FRUITY  TASTEf  (Sapore  di  frutto,  It.;  Saveur  de  fruit,  Fr.). — Many 
young  wines,  when  well  made,  have  a  very  pronounced  taste  of  fruit. 

Common  wines,  with  age,  lose  this  taste,  but  fine,  and  above  all,  the 
finest,  wines  retain  it,  much  to  their  advantage;  they  retain  it,  however, 
only  when  aged  slowly,  and  without  the  use  of  artificial  aids. 

TARTARIC  FERMENTATION. — This  term  is  used  to  cover  two  different 
maladies  of  wine  caused  by  two  micro-organisms,  which  differ  somewhat 
from  each  other,  and  the  products  of  the  fermentations  caused  by  them 
differ  considerably.  These  maladies,  however,  have  a  certain  affinity, 
since  both  the  micro-organisms,  to  whose  action  they  are  due,  live  at  the 
expense  of  the  tartaric  acid  m  the  cream  of  tartar. 

The  French  distinguish  these  two  maladies,  calling  the  first  "la  mala- 
die  de  la  pousse — vin  pousse;"  in  Italian,  "malattia  del  subbollimento;"  and 
the  second,  "maladie  de  la  tourne — vins  tournes;"  in  Italian,  "cereone." 

*  It  may  perhaps  be  useful  to  note  that  the  lees  may  become  the  seat  of  a  bacteroid 
fermentation  independently  of  any  anterior  disease  in  the  wine.  Thus,  according  to  the 
experiments  of  Ravizza.  the  wine  and  lees  may  become  the  prey  of  bacteria  without  the 
aid  of  molds  or  other  micro-organisms  that  destroy  the  acids. 

The  temperature  most  favorable  to  the  development  of  bacteria  in  the  lees  seems  to  be 
from  77°  F.  to  86°  F.  Below  77°  F.  the  phenomena  accompanying  the  life  of  these  bac- 
teria decrease,  and  towards  50°  F.  cease  altogether.  The  practice,  then,  in  racking,  of 
separating  the  last  layers  of  wine,  that  is,  the  part  lying  in  contact  with  the  lees,  from 
the  rest  is  a  good  one,  and  this  wine  may  be  considered  of  inferior  quality,  either  because 
it  lacks  a  clean,  fresh  taste,  or  because  it  is  sometimes  cloudy. 

t  Fruity  is  very  often  used  in  English  with  the  inappropriate  meaning  of  somewhat 
sweet.— Trans. 


52  WJNE    AND    THE   ART    OF    WINE   TASTING. 

"  Maladie  de  la  pousse" — This  disease  is  recognized  by  the  wine  spurt- 
ing out  when  the  vessel  in  which  it  has  been  confined  is  opened;  the 
wine  exercises  a  strong  pressure  on  the  staves  of  the  cask  on  account  of 
the  carbonic  acid  which  is  formed;  it  is  from  this  that  comes  the  term 
"pousse.'7 

In  the  glass  the  wine  shows  a  persistent  ring  of  small  gaseous  bub- 
bles of  a  whitish  color.  If  the  wine  is  left  exposed  to  the  air  it  becomes 
turbid;  its  color  becomes  dull  with  a  tendency  to  yellowish. 

The  wine  has  lost  its  primary  flavor,  and  as  the  disease  progresses, 
becomes  more  and  more  insipid;  if  it  is  shaken  there  is  an  appearance 
of  silky  waves  at  the  surface,  caused  by  the  lees  which  has  risen  up. 

Balard  was  the  first  to  show  the  presence  in  "  vins  pousses  "  of  a  fer- 
ment which,  according*  to  him,  resembles  the  lactic  ferment.  He  has 
further  shown  that  in  these  wines  the  quantity  of  volatile  acids  is  in- 
creased, the  one  found  in  largest  quantity  being  acetic  acid. 

Bechauip  and  Stenard  have  shown  that  propionic  acid  is  formed  in 
these  wines  from  the  tartar  and  the  glycerine.  Nickles,  on  the  con- 
trary, is  of  the  opinion  that  metacetic  acid  is  produced. 

Duclaux,  who  has  given  much  attention  to  this  malady,  seems  to 
have  proved:  (1)  That  the  amount  of  free  acids  augments  with  the 
progress  of  the  malady;  (2)  that  this  increase  is  made  at  the  expense 
of  the  fixed  acids  of  the  wine,  particularly  of  the  tartaric  acid;  (3)  that 
the  acids  formed  are  propionic  and  acetic.  After  having  shown  this  he 
concludes  by  saying  that  all  fermentation  of  the  tartar  that  takes  place 
with  the  evolution  of  pure  carbonic  acid  and  production  of  propionic 
and  acetic  acids  should  be  called  "maladie  de  la  pousse" 

Cercone,  vin  girato,  mercuriella,  It.;  Tourne,  vin  tourne,  vin  qui  a  donne 
le  tour,  Fr.). — At  this  word  in  an  Italian  dictionary  is  written:  Cercone 
— a  distiller's  term — is  said  of  a  spoiled  wine,  because  in  becoming  thus 
it  works  and  turns;  vappa,  lora  of  the  Latins.  The  lora  of  the  Latins 
is  certainly  not  the  cercone,  but  family  wine,  piquette;  neither  is  vappa, 
since  that,  according  to  the  dictionaries,  should  indicate  a  flat,  vapid 
wine.  Vappa  vinum  insipidum  et  nullino  virtutis,  postquam  omnino  odor 
saporque  optimus  evaporavit. 

Vin  tourne  has  this  peculiarity,  that  when  first  poured  out  it  appears 
sound,  but  after  a  short  time  it  tends  to  become  turbid  and  iridescent. 

Under  the  influence  of  the  oxygen  of  the  air  the  coloring  matter 
becomes  purplish,  and  precipitates,  and  the  wine  acquires  a  yellowish 
tint,  a  sour  taste,  and  a  forbidding  bitterness. 

Wines  of  this  kind  when  distilled  give  a  brandy  having  a  bitter  taste, 
caused  probably  by  ammoniacal  compounds.  The  alcohol  made  from 
them  has  not  always,  but  often,  a  strong  and  pungent  odor,  and  cannot, 
without  being  well  rectified,  be  put  to  the  ordinary  uses  of  wine  alcohol, 
that  is,  the  manufacture  of  vermouth,  etc.  This  odor  is  sometimes  so 
pungent  as  to  bring  tears  to  the  eyes,  and,  by  fractional  distillations,  it 
is  possible  to  isolate  a  certain  quantity  of  eroton-aldehyde.*  This  com- 
pound is  formed,  very  probably,  during  the  distillation  by  the  conden- 
sation of  the  aldehyde  with  diminution  of  water. 

Balard  has  found  lactic  acid  in  "  vins  tournes; "  Glenard,  on  the  other 

*  Recently  Professor  Comboni,  in  distilling  a  wine  made  by  blending  Marzemino  and 
Black  Pinot.  which  had  been  attacked  by  the  bitter  fermentation,  found  in  the  distillate 
a  considerable  amount  of  aldehyde  and  formic  acid.  These  products  are  certainly 
formed  during  the  progress  of  the  secondary  fermentation,  for  they  are  not  found  at  all 
in  the  same  wine  wnen  sound. 


WINE  AND  THE  ART  OF  WINE  TASTING.  53 

hand,  has  found  potassic  acetate.  In  the  secondary  fermentation  of 
"vins  tournes,"  there  is  a  formation  of  acetic  acid,  and  more  especially 
of  lactic  and  tartronic  acids. 

A  wine  attacked  by  this  disease  may  be  considered  as  lost;  however, 
at  the  start  it  may  be  useful  to  try  the  addition -of  tannin  and  cream  of 
tartar,  then  pasteurization  and  fining.  The  disease,  if  not  arrested,  is 
followed  by  putrid  fermentation. 

PUTRLD  FERMENTATION. — This  disease  attacks  the  organic  matter  in 
the  wine,  destroys  it,  and  gives  rise  to  repulsive  tastes  and  odors. 

In  the  incipiency  of  this  fermentation,  the  repulsive  odor  and  taste 
are  not  very  marked,  and  a  cure  may  be  attempted  by  heavy  sulphur- 
ing, followed  by  filtration  through  charcoal,  which  acts  as  a  disinfectant. 

FAT  (Grasso,  It.;  Gras,  Fr.). — I  will  say  now  that  this  defect  should 
not  be  confounded  with  that  of  viscosity  or  greasiness,  though  at  first 
view  it  might  be  supposed  to  be  the  same  in  a  moderated  form. 

The  defect  of  "fatness"  is  rarely  found  in  generous  wines,  but  is 
usually  confined  to  weak  ones,  and  is  not  due,  like  "  greasiness,"  to  a 
fermentation,  but  to  the  presence  of  a  certain  amount  of  albuminoid 
substances,  of  gum,  mucilage,  imperfect  sugars,  etc.,  which  impart  to  the 
wine  a  character  which,  when  it  is  tasted,  leaves  a  more  or  less  marked 
impression  of  something  glutinous;  an  impression  which  persists  for 
some  time,  leaving,  as  it  were,  a  pasty  feeling  in  the  mouth. 

"  Fat "  wines  are  indigestible,  and  hard  to  keep  during  the  hot  season, 
as  they  are  extremely  liable  to  secondary  fermentations.  The  wines  in 
which  this  defect  is  usually  found,  are  those  grown  on  moist  plains, 
which  are  naturally  fertile,  or  made  so  by  the  addition  of  nitrogenous 
manures,  as,  for  instance,  young  vineyards  where  the  effect  of  manur- 
ing at  the  planting  of  the  vines  has  not  worn  off. 

This  defect  may  be  avoided  entirely,  or  to  a  great  extent,  by  a  thorough 
and  prolonged  aeration  of  the  must,  or  by  the  addition  of  alcohol  or 
tannin*  to  the  wine. 

Sometimes  this  defect,  when  not  too  pronounced,  will  partly  or  wholly 
disappear  after  the  wine  has  gone  through  its  slow  spring  fermentation. 

GREASY,  Viscous  (Filante,  Grassume,  It.;  Filante,  Graisse,  Fr.). — 
Terms  used  of  a  wine  which  has  lost  part  of  its  fluidity  and  which,  when 
poured  into  a  glass,  falls  without  noise,  or  like  oil;  it  has  that  viscid, 
mucilaginous  look  which  reminds  one  of  white  of  egg. 

This  malady  is  caused  by  a  micro-organism.  A  greasy  wine,  as  the 
malady  progresses,  loses  its  fragrance  and  becomes  bitterish;  its  color 
becomes  dull  and  tends  to  turn  brown;  finally,  it  loses  its  natural  trans- 
parency and  brightness.  At  first  it  is  flat,  vapid,  and  distasteful;  and 
finally,  rancid  and  sour  by  the  formation  of  lactic  acid. 

*The  addition  of  a  little  tanninized  wine  is  better  than  the  direct  addition  of  tannin. 

Tanninized  wine  may  be  prepared  thus:  Take  a  small  caskj  holding,  for  example,  about  25 
gallons;  fill  it  with  a  strong  wine,  or  one  made  so  by  the  addition  of  1  or  1*4  gallons  of  alcohol 
of  94°  C.;  into  the  wine  put  about  35  pounds  of  grape  seeds  which  have  not  been  fermented. 
For  the  first  few  days  the  wine  should  be  stirred  from  time  to  time,  and  then  left  to  itself. 
After  about  ten  days  the  liquid  part  is  drawn  off,  and  is  then  a  wine  heavily  charged  with 
tannin,  which  serves  excellently  for  the  purpose  above  noted;  for  that  purpose  a  dose  of 
1  or  2  gallons  of  the  tanninized  wine  to  100  of  the  wine  to  be  treated  is  about  the  right 
proportion. 

If  a  tanninized  wine  is  needed  for  the  defecation  of  the  must,  it  is  prepared  thus:  Take 
5  gallons  of  alcohol  and  10  gallons  of  wine,  put  in  a  small  cask,  and  add  about  18  or  20 
pounds"of  seeds,  and  treat  as  in  the  former  case;  1  or  2  gallons  of  this  is  sufficient  to 
thoroughly  defecate  100  gallons  of  must. 

If  fresh  seeds  are  not  to  be  had,  dry  ones  may  be  used,  providing  they  are  in  good  con- 
dition, that  is  to  say,  providing  they  have  been  dried  in  the  shade,  kept  in  a  dry  place, 
and  have  not  become  moldy. 


54  WINE    AND    THE    ART    OF    WINE    TASTING. 

This  malady  occurs  oftener  in  white  than  in  red  wines;  in  late  years, 
however,  it  has  been  found  often  in  red  wines  on  account  of  the  unfavor- 
able conditions  for  the  grapes  attaining  a  complete  maturity,  such,  for 
instance,  as  the  damages  done  by  insects,  cryptogams,  and  bad  weather. 
It  occurs  easily,  too,  in  red  wines  made  from  grapes  grown  on  very 
fertile  soil  rich  in  albuminoid  substances. 

Very  probably  this  deterioration  is  much  more  complex  than  is 
usually  supposed. 

Peligot  was  the  first  to  establish  the  presence  of  a  micro-organism,  of 
a  bacterium.  Pasteur,  later,  demonstrated  that  this  bacterium  has  the 
property  of  transforming  the  sugar  that  remains  in  the  wine  into  a 
mucilaginous  or  viscid  substance.* 

Bechamp  calls  the  active  ferment  of  this  process  Micrococcus  viscosus, 
and  the  gum  which  is  formed  viscosio. 

Tannin  and  alcohol,  in  certain  proportions,  prevent  the  development 
and  action  of  this  bacterium;  the  conclusion,  therefore,  is  that  wines 
poor  in  alcohol  and  tannin,  and  containing  sugar,  are  subject,  especially 
if  white,  to  become  "  filant."  This  explains  also  the  use  of  tannin,  as 
proposed  by  M.  Frangois,  of  Chalons,  to  arrest  or  prevent  this  malady. 

Francois  attributes  this  malady  to  a  peculiar  nitrogenous  substance, 
gliandin,  a  kind  of  glutin,  which  seems  to  have  the  property  of  being 
precipitated  by  tannin.  Nessler  affirms,  however,  that  we  do  not  know 
yet  how  the  tannin  acts. 

I  have  already  remarked  on  the  complex  nature  of  the  malady  under 
discussion.  Usually  it  is  held  to  be  owing  to  a  lack  or  deficiency  of 
tannin.  This,  however,  is  not  invariably  true,  since  Francisco  Selmi 
has  found  it  in  wine  made  from  Lambrusca  grapes,  and  therefore  rich 
in  tannin.  It  seems  that  in  this  malady  the  tartaric  acid  also  suffers 
changes.  Probably  on  account  of  these  changes  Bizzari  proposes  the 
use  of  tartaric  acid,  200  to  250  grammes  per  100  gallons,  as  a  cure  or 
preventive  of  the  malady. 

*The  bacterium  of  "La  Graisse"  put  into  a  solution  of  sugar  containing  albuminoid 
and  mineral  substances  acts  upon  the  sugar  and  transforms  it  into  a  kind  of  gum,  man- 
nite, water,  and  carbonic  acid.  Thus,  100  parts  of  cane  sugar  will  give  50.09  parts  of  man- 
nite,  43.5  of  gum,  besides  water  and  carbonic  acid. 

Monoyer  proposed  to  account  for  this  transformation  by  two  chemical  equations,  the 
first  of  which  would  give  mannite  and  carbonic  acid,  the  second  gum  and  water,  as 
formed  from  the  glucose. 

Schmidt-Mulheim  is  about  of  the  same  opinion,  he  believing  that  the  viscous  fermen- 
tation consisted  of  two  processes,  the  first  of  which  gave  mannite  and  carbonic  acid, 
and  the  second  the  viscid  substance. 

Kramer  has  studied  this  ferment.  He  examined  three  wines  afflicted  by  it,  and  besides 
Saccharomyces  ellipsoideus,  Saccharomyces  mycoderma,  etc.,  he  found  an  extremely  minute 
bacillus  2  to  6  //  long,  and  .6  to  .8  /J,  thick.  He  failed  to  cultivate  this  bacillus  on  potato, 
agar  agar,  etc.,  but  by  putting  a  little  of  the  infected  wine  into  a  new  (three  months) 
white  sterilized  wine  and  with  3  per  cent  of  glucose,  he  found  that  the  bacillus  devel- 
oped well  and  rendered  the  wine  "filant,"  but  only  when  the  air  was  completely  excluded 
by  covering  the  wine  with  a  layer  of  oil.  With  access  of  air  there  was  very  little  devel- 
opment of  the  bacillus,  and  instead  an  increase  of  the  other  ferments  of  the  wine. 
Kramer  has  called  this  ferment  Bacillus  viscus  vini. 

The  peculiar  kind  of  gum  produced  by  the  viscous  fermentation  of  the  sugar  renders 
the  wine  viscid  and  glutinous.  In  its  properties  it  resembles  dextrine  more  than  it  does 
gum  arabic. 

The  viscid  substance,  according  to  Kramer,  appears  to  be  a  product  of  assimilation  of 
the  organism,  whilst  the  carbonic  acid  and  mannite,  which  are  formed  contemporane- 
ously, are  products  of  the  fermentation;  a  constant  proportion  between  the  first  and  the 
last  substances  does  not  exist. 

The  bacillus  multiplies  very  well  in  its  own  viscid  product. 


forms  a  kind  of  glue.    It  has  no  acid  reaction. 


WINE    AND    THE    ART    OP    WINE    TASTING.  55 

The  best  means  of  preventing  or  arresting  the  disease  consists  of  the  use 
of  tannin,  pasteurizing  to  destroy  the  bacteria,  racking  into  sulphured 
casks,  and  finally  the  addition  of  alcohol  to  the  wine. 

Pasteurization  is  inapplicable  in  the  case  of  white  wines  which  are 
destined  for  the  fabrication  of  champagne,  because  it  not  only  destroys 
the  bacteria,  but  also  the  alcoholic  ferments,  whose  action  is  necessary 
to  produce  the  carbonic  acid,  which  renders  the  wine  sparkling. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  development  of  the  disease,  forcible  agitation 
of  the  wine  will  restore  its  clearness  and  fluidity  by  the  disassociation 
of  the  bacteria  and  the  dispersion  of  the  mucilaginous  matter  which 
envelops  the  parasite. 

Agitation,  however,  must  not  be  looked  upon  as  a  curative  measure; 
the  results  obtained  are  only  temporary,  for  the  cause  of  the  disease,  viz.: 
the  bacterium,  is  neither  destroyed  nor  removed. 

FLAT,  WINE  FLOWERS  (Vino  svanito,  Svaporato,  Fiorito,  It.;  Vin 
evanoui,  Evapore,  Fleuri,  Fr.). — A  wine  becomes  flat  when  it  remains  for 
some  time  exposed  to  the  air,  as  happens  in  an  imperfectly  filled  or 
badly  bunged  cask.  In  time  it  becomes  covered  with  "  wine  flowers," 
which  consists  of  the  Saccharomyces  vini,  or  Mycoderma  vini.  In  either 
case  the  wine  gradually  acquires  an  unpleasant,  somewhat  bitterish 
taste,  and  loses  its  strength  and  bouquet  by  evaporation,  or  else  the 
breaking  up  of  the  alcohol  into  water  and  carbonic  acid.  This  has 
been  called  by  some  one,  on  account  of  the  products  formed,  hydro-car- 
bonic fermentation,  and  is  caused  by  the  Mycoderma  vini,  which  attacks 
not  only  the  alcohol,  but  very  probably  the  ethers,  succinic  acid,  and 
glycerine,  as  these  bodies  tend  to  disappear. 

Although  cases  do  occur  in  which  generous  wines  are  attacked  by  the 
Mycoderma  vini,  still  it  has  a  decided  preference  for  young  and  feeble 
wines.  In  old  and  well-defecated  wines  it  develops  with  difficulty,  per- 
haps because  in  these  wines  the  elements  necessary  for  its  nourishment 
(nitrogenous  bodies  and  phosphates)  are  not  found. 

The  practice  of  some  wine  makers  with  regard  to  "  wine  flowers "  is 
not  in  accord  with  that  of  those  who  follow  a  rational  system  of  wine 
making.  They  consider  only  the  development  of  the  "flowers,"  which 
they  look  upon  almost  as  a  preservative  of  the  wine,  whilst  the  others 
sustain  the  necessity  of  energetically  combatting  and  preventing  the 
increase  of  the  "  flowers,"  because  it  is  not  only  dangerous  in  itself,  but 
is  almost  always  accompanied  by  the  Mycoderma  aceti,  or  Diplococcus 
aceti,  which,  the  moment  circumstances  become  favorable,  commence 
to  replace  the  Mycoderma  vini  and  cause  the  acetification  of  the  wine. 

When  it  is  thoroughly  understood  how  the  "  flowers  "  act  it  is  easy  to 
explain  the  facts  put  forward  by  those  who  do  not  consider  it  dangerous, 
and  also  the  reasons  of  those  who  believe  that  it  should  be  prevented  by 
all  means,  and  destroyed  on  its  first  appearance. 

The  presence  of  the  "  flowers  "  causes  such  an  absorption  of  oxygen 
and  development  of  heat  and  carbonic  acid,  as  to  prevent  the  growth  of 
any  other  organism. 

Ducleaux  has  calculated  that  80  grammes  of  alcohol  contained  in  a 
litre  of  wine  of  10  per  cent,  needs  for  its  transformation  into  water  and 
carbonic  acid  more  than  160  grammes,  or  100  litres  of,  oxygen. 

The  conclusions  to  be  drawn  from  this  are  evident;  they  are,  that 
when  the  cask  is  well  closed,  so  as  to  prevent  the  free  entry  of  air,  the 
diminution  of  alcohol,  caused  by  the  "flowers,"  is  reduced  to  a  mere 


56  WINE  AND  THE  ART  OF  WINE  TASTING. 

trifle,  and  that  the  presence  of  the  "flowers"  excluded  the  action  of 
other  micro-organisms. 

We  must  not,  however,  reason  from  this  that  the  Mycoderma-  vini  is 
really  of  use,  for  if  exposure  to  the  air  should  happen,  if,  instead  of 
remaining  white,  the  "  flowers,"  as  Pasteur  noticed,  should  turn  red, 
then,  sooner  or  later,  it  will  cede  its  place  to  other  organisms,  to  the 
vinegar  diplococcus,  which,  as  I  have  shown  before,  is  ready  immedi- 
ately to  commence  action,  finding  itself  in  favorable  condition  for  its 
development,  for  the  "flowers"  itself  serves  for  nutriment;  and  if 
there  should  be  a  considerable  rise  in  temperature,  the  conditions  are 
the  best  possible. 

The  final  conclusion  then,  plainly  is,  that  the  "  flowers "  should  be 
carefully  guarded  against;  this  is  done  by  the  strictest  attention  to  "fill- 
ing up,"  the  importance  of  which  was  recognized  by  the  poet  Alemann, 
when  he  wrote: 

Che  nulla  cos  a 
Pub  medicar  il  vin,  che  resta  scemo. 

The  "  flowers  "  may  be  destroyed  by  the  addition  of  sulphurous  anhy- 
dride or  a  few  drops  of  alcohol. 

With  wine  in  bottles,  the  development  of  the  "flowers"  is  prevented 
by  keeping  the  bottles  lying  down;  if  instead  the  wine  is  kept  in  flasks 
("^asc/w"),  as  in  Tuscany,  or  in  demijohns,  a  few  drops  of  the  purest 
olive  oil  on  the  surface  of  the  wine  will  have  the  same  effect. 

SOUR,  PRICKED,  ACETIFIED  ( Vino  die  ha  preso  il  fuoco,  Lo  spunto,  La 
punta,  II  portore,  Vino  acetoso,  It.;  Vin  qui  a  pris  le  feu,  VAigre,T?r.). — 
Acetic  acid  is  one  of  the  normal  components  of  wine.  It  is  formed 
during  the  alcoholic  fermentation,  but  in  such  minute  quantities  as  to 
be  imperceptible  to  the  taste.  When  the  proportion  of  this  acid,  from 
one  of  the  many  known  causes,  becomes  large  enough  as  to  be  percepti- 
ble, then  the  wine  is  said  to  be  "pricked." 

A  pricked  wine  retains  its  natural  color  and  limpidity. 

This  defect  is  recognized  by  the  odor  and  taste  of  acetic  acid;  in  tast- 
ing, its  strongest  effect  is  perceived  at  the  base  of  the  tongue. 

If  a  wine  thus  affected  is  not  taken  in  hand  immediately  (and  in 
truth  success  is  not  always  sure)  and  treated  with  heavy  sulphurings 
or  pasteurizing,  it  soon  becomes  sour  and  acetic. 

Acetification  is  due  to  the  action  of  a  micro-organism,  the  bacterium 
known  under  the  name  of  Diplococcus  aceti,  still  commonly  called  Myco- 
derma aceti,  which  increases  with  a  rapidity  truly  prodigious.  Ducleaux 
tells  us  that  if  on  a  surface  of  wine  a  metre  square  an  almost  impercep- 
tible amount  of  these  bacteria  is  allowed  to  fall,  in  twenty-four  hours 
the  whole  surface  of  the  liquid  will  be  covered  with  a  layer  of  them  so 
closely  placed  as  to  be  crowded  into  contact.  Thus,  there  will  be  three 
hundred  thousand  million  individuals  formed  in  twenty-four  hours. 

The  rapidity  with  which  the  acetic  bacterium  multiplies  explains  why 
a  pricked  wine,  when  the  temperature  is  favorable,  becomes  so  quickly 
completely  acetified. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  whilst  it  is  easy  to  prevent  this  disease 
by  taking  proper  precautions  in  the  fermenting-room  and  cellar,  it  is 
difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  destroy  it  when  started. 

Once  a  wine  has  become  pricked,  instead  of  trying  to  effect  a  cure,  it 
is  better  to  follow  the  advice  of  Guyot,  who  says: 

"  When  wine  acquires  the  odor  and  taste  of  acetic  acid,  it  is  sent  to 
the  vinegar  factory,  but  it  is  never  attempted  to  use  it  as  wine." 


WINE   AND   THE   AiTf  JOF  'WINE   t£ST!*&"  '"' ''  57 

All  the  means  that  have  been  suggested  for  the  treatment  of  a  pricked 
wine  may  be  considered  as  palliatives  only,  and  not  as  radical  cures. 
In  this  regard  Carpene  writes  very  justly: 

"  The  neutralization  of  the  acetic  acid,  which  has  developed  in  the 
wine  by  the  oxidation  of  the  alcohol  with  potash,  soda,  lime,  magnesia, 
and  their  simple  or  double  neutral  carbonates  and  tartrates,  seems  to 
be  a  rational  method,  but,  in  reality,  is  not  so.  These  substances  neu- 
tralize wholly,  or  in  part,  the  free,  and  even  the  combined  acids,  and 
the  diminution  of  the  complex  acidity  of  the  wine  renders  the  acetic 
taste  less  noticeable,  but  does  not  completely  remove  it.  To  remove 
entirely  the  acetic  acid  it  is  necessary  to  completely  neutralize  the  wine, 
because  the  acetic  acid  combines  with  the  alkaline  and  earthy-alkaline 
bases  after  they  have  neutralized  the  tartaric,  malic,  and  succinic  acids. 
Moreover,  acetic  acid,  even  when  completely  combined  with  a  base, 
gives  out,  though  less  strongly,  its  characteristic  odor,  so  that  even  after 
complete  neutralization  the  wine  will  still  have  an  odor  of  acetic  acid, 
accompanied  besides  by  a  bitter  taste,  which  lingers  in  the  throat,  and 
may  be  worse  than  the  first  fault." 

MILK-SOUR,  LACTIC  ACID. — This,  by  inexperienced  tasters,  is  easily 
confounded  with  pricking  or  acetification. 

A  milk-sour  wine  has  a  more  disgusting,  biting,  and  penetrating  acidity 
than  an  acetic  wine,  a  harsh  acidity,  whose  effect  is  felt  long  after  the 
wine  is  swallowed.  An  acetic  wine  has  a  noticeable  odor  of  vinegar, 
whilst  a  milk-sour  wine  emits  an  odor  of  rancid  butter,  due  to  the 
butyric  acid  which  almost  always  accompanies  lactic  acid. 

If  there  is  any  doubt  as  to  which  acid  the  wine  contains,  the  doubt 
can  be  solved  by  pouring  a  drop  or  two  of  the  wine  into  the  palm  of  one 
hand,  and  then  rubbing  it  with  the  other;  if  any  acetic  acid  is  present 
its  odor  will  be  immediately  perceptible  on  the  hands. 

A  milk-sour  wine  loses  some  of  its  fluidity,  and  its  color  becomes  dull. 

Sweet,  badly  defecated  wines,  especially  those  rich  in  albuminoids,  are 
liable  to  milk-sourness. 

The  disease  appears  during  the  winter  or  in  the  spring,  and  generally 
in  wines  poor  in  acids;  it  is  accompanied  by  a  turbidity  of  the  wine  and 
a  change  of  color.  As  long  as  the  wine  remains  in  full,  well-bunged 
casks,  this  turbidity  and  change  of  color  do  not  occur,  but  only  when 
it  is  exposed  to  the  air. 

Some  observers  have  considered  lactic  acid  as  one  of  the  normal 
products  of  alcoholic  fermentation,  like  glycerine,  succinic  acid,  etc.; 
the  truth,  however,  is,  as  Pasteur  has  proved,  that  whenever  the  smallest 
quantity  or  trace  of  lactic  acid  is  found  in  wine  it  is  caused  by  lactic 
fermentation. 

Whenever  the  alcoholic  fermentation  of  certain  musts,  rich  in  nitroge- 
nous matters,  is  not  well  conducted,  especially  as  regards  temperature, 
a  certain  quantity  of  lactic  acid  is  very  easily  formed,  which  is  a  bad 
defect.  This  happens  generally  in  certain  years  in  warm  countries, 
where  the  so-called  sweet-sour  wines  are  produced. 

It  is  difficult,  not  to  say  impossible,  to  take  away  the  defect  of  milk- 
sourness;  the  different  methods  proposed,  including  that  of  refermenta- 
tion,  do  not  succeed;  consequently,  the  best  thing  is  to  prevent  it  by  a 
thorough  defecation  of  the  must,  and  a  properly  regulated  fermentation, 
not  allowing  the  temperature  to  rise  to  a  point  at  which  the  alcoholic 
ferment  becomes  inactive,  and  thus  preventing  it  from  reducing  all,  or 
the  major  part,  of  the  glucose  contained  in  the  must. 
5 


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